Fumigation: a Cape Town guide

Know what you are dealing with

True gas fumigation is the right call for infested furniture, antiques and timber where wood borer larvae are tunnelling inside the wood. It is also used for stored products like grain, maize meal, animal feed and dried goods when weevils or moths have got into bulk stock. Shipping containers and pallets heading to or arriving from the harbour sometimes need treating too. Most homeowners who phone asking for fumigation, though, have cockroaches, fleas or bed bugs, and those are better handled with a targeted spray, gel or dust treatment than with gas. We will tell you honestly which camp your problem falls into.

Myths, mistakes and lesser-known facts

Pets, fish tanks and indoor plants all need planning before a gas fumigation. Fish tanks especially are easy to forget and hard to protect if you leave it too late.

Businesses holding bulk food or feed often only call when a customer complains. Regular checks of the storeroom are much cheaper than losing a batch.

Not every borer problem needs gas. Exposed roof timbers can often be treated by spraying and injection instead, which costs less and needs less disruption.

Warning signs

1. Fine powdery dust and small round holes are appearing on wooden furniture or beams, even after you have cleaned them.
2. Bags of grain, feed or flour have weevils or webbing inside, and the problem keeps coming back.
3. An heirloom or second-hand piece of furniture has live beetles or fresh frass coming out of it.
4. A container or pallet load needs a treatment before it can be moved or accepted.
5. Pests are in a place you cannot reach with a spray, such as inside packed stock or solid timber.
6. Earlier surface treatments knocked the problem back but it returned within weeks.

Fumigant gases are dangerous to people and animals, which is why fumigation is done under sheets or in sealed rooms with warning signs and nobody inside. Done badly, it either leaves pests alive deep in the material or leaves gas where it should not be. Done well, it reaches every crack in a load of timber or a pallet of stock. For a business, an untreated infestation in stored goods can mean whole batches thrown away and unhappy customers.

Can you do it yourself?

Gas fumigation is not a DIY job, full stop. The products are restricted and dangerous, and the sealing has to be right. For crawling insects in a house, foggers from the shop mostly drive pests deeper into the walls, so you are better off with a targeted professional treatment.

Seasonal pattern

Wood borer beetles emerge mainly in the warmer months from late spring into summer, so that is when people notice fresh holes and ask about fumigation. Stored product pests breed faster in the heat too, while cockroach and flea calls climb from October as the weather warms up.

Prevention checklist

• Inspect second-hand furniture for small exit holes and fine dust before bringing it into the house.
• Store grain, feed and dry goods in sealed containers and use the old stock first.
• Keep timber dry, because damp wood is far more attractive to borer beetles.
• Do not stack cardboard and pallets against walls for months; it gives pests a hiding place.
• Have bulk storage areas checked regularly so a small problem does not become a fumigation job.
• If you are buying an older property, include a beetle inspection in the transfer process.

What affects the price

The price depends on whether you need gas fumigation or a standard treatment, and on the volume being treated. Sealing a whole structure or a full container takes more material and time than a single piece of furniture. Access, preparation work and any follow-up treatments are factored into the free quote.

Frequently asked questions

Areas we cover for fumigation