Fumigation Security: Why a Tented House Needs a Watch

If you've had a house fumigated for termites, you know the routine. A crew wraps the whole structure in heavy tarps, seals the edges and treats the inside. You pack up the food and medicine, collect the pets and the plants, and check into a hotel or a relative's spare room. What people think about less is the house itself, standing there with your television, your laptop and your jewelry box in it, and nobody home.

What a tented house looks like from the street

A striped tent over a two-storey house is impossible to miss. It also tells anyone who looks that the family is gone for a few days. There are no lights on in the evening, no cars in the driveway, and the doors are covered. The tent keeps the treatment inside, but it does nothing about the people outside it.

It's also a safety problem and not only a theft problem. The treatment depends on the seal staying intact, and fumigant is dangerous to anyone who walks in. A curious teenager, a person looking for a dry place to sleep or someone who decides the tarp is easy to cut can hurt themselves and break the seal. Having an adult who is paid to keep an eye on the property matters for both reasons.

Why an extermination company would suggest it

You don't have to take this on faith. Cheryl A., on the owner's testimonials page, wrote: “We needed to have our house tented for termites and it was recommended by the extermination company that we get private security to watch the house overnight when it was being aerated.” The pest company knows what a tented house looks like at two in the morning. They'd rather the house, the tent and your belongings were all still there when they come back to clear it.

She added that Carl “made the whole experience very simple and straightforward, arrived on-time and proactively communicated status.” That last part is easy to overlook. When you're sleeping in a hotel across town, a text that says everything is quiet is worth more than you'd think. Another client on the same page also hired Carl to cover a termite tenting, which tells you this isn't a one-off request. It's a regular job.

What an overnight watch covers

Made Man Protection offers residential fumigation protection as surveillance and protection overnight, for homes and commercial buildings, across Solano County and the Bay Area. The idea is simple. A licensed officer is on watch while the property can't watch itself. Visible presence keeps most trouble from starting. If someone does approach the tent, the officer is there to speak to them, document what happened and call for help if it's needed.

That is the same philosophy the company applies to everything else it does. The tagline on its own site says it plainly: you are paying for presence. A person sitting in view of a tented house does more to discourage trouble than a camera that records it afterward. Cameras still help, and if you have a doorbell camera it can stay on, but a camera can't ask someone to step away from the tarp.

What to arrange before tent day

A little planning makes the watch smoother and keeps the pest company, the security officer and you on the same page. Here is the short list worth working through a few days ahead.

• Get the exact schedule from your pest company: when the tent goes up, when the treatment starts, and when it will be aerated and cleared.
• Tell the security company those times, not just the date, so the watch covers the whole stretch and not only part of it.
• Give the officer your phone number and the pest company's number, and agree on who gets called first if something looks wrong.
• Take the things you can't replace with you, such as documents, jewelry, hard drives and keepsakes, instead of trusting a locked door under a tarp.
• Let a neighbor or two know a tent is coming and that someone will be on the property overnight, so a stranger standing by the house doesn't cause a 911 call.

Booking and cost

Tent dates are often set by the pest company, and sometimes with less lead time than you'd like. Made Man Protection recommends two weeks' notice, but if your date is closer than that, call anyway and ask what's possible. Emma C., on the testimonials page, wrote about a last-minute security need: “I had a last-minute security need and am so thankful that Made Man Bodyguard Services was able to save the day.”

The company doesn't publish a security rate. According to its FAQ, pricing is based on the event, occupancy and length of time and how many security officers will be needed, so the nights you need and the size of the property are what shape the quote. The consultation is free, and it's short, 15 minutes.

Before the tent goes up

If a termite tenting is on your calendar, call Made Man Protection at 510.677.8011 and book the free 15-minute consultation with Carl. Have the dates, the address and the pest company's schedule in front of you, and he'll tell you what a watch for your house looks like and what it will cost.