Gas fumigation is for insects you can't reach with a spray: borer inside furniture, weevils through stored food, moths deep in a storeroom of dry goods. For cockroaches in a holiday flat, fleas in a rented unit or ants coming in from the garden, it's the wrong tool. A normal treatment works better, costs less and doesn't need anyone to move out. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you honestly which one you need.
When Hartenbos really does need fumigation
- Furniture with borer. Holiday flats are often furnished with older wooden pieces that have moved from house to house over the years. Small round holes and little piles of fine powder under a cupboard or bed frame mean wood-boring beetles are active inside it.
- Shops and stores stocked for the season. Businesses that buy in dry goods before December sometimes find weevils, beetles or moths in the stock room when they open up the boxes.
- Bulk storage. Any room or container holding grain, flour, seed or animal feed that's become infested right through.
A pantry with weevils in the flour is usually not one of them. Throw out the infested packets, clean the shelves properly and the problem is generally solved without gas.
Why timing matters here
Hartenbos is packed over December and quiet for most of the rest of the year. A fumigated space has to stay sealed and empty of people and animals for several days, until we've cleared it. That's hard to arrange in a full resort town, and easy in the off-season, when flats stand empty and stock rooms are low.
Our local tip: if you've noticed borer in the furniture or insects in stored goods during the holidays, don't try to squeeze in a fumigation in late November. Book it for winter or early spring, when the unit is free, the body corporate isn't juggling arrivals and there's no pressure to rush the clearance.
Flats, shared walls and sealing
Gas doesn't stop at a unit boundary unless it's properly sealed in. In a block of flats or a row of attached holiday units, we look carefully at whether the space can be sealed safely and whether any gas could reach next door. Sometimes the better option is to move the infested furniture and fumigate it on its own under gas-proof sheeting. You'll usually need to tell the body corporate and the neighbours what's happening, and we can explain what's involved so they know what to expect.
What happens on the day
After assessing the job, we seal the room, store or stack, or cover the goods with sheeting. A trained, registered operator applies a registered fumigant such as phosphine, and the area is marked off. It stays sealed for the exposure time on the product label, usually a few days, so that eggs and larvae are killed as well as adults. Then we ventilate it, test it and let you know when it's safe to go back in.
Please note: nobody may enter a fumigated area until we've cleared it. Fumigant gas is dangerous to people and pets, and this is work for registered operators only.
Is it borer or stored product insects?
- Neat round holes in wood with fine powder below: wood borer
- Small holes in grains, webbing or clumps in bags: weevils or moths
- Small beetles in flour or around the base of shelves: flour beetles
- Little moths flying near lights in a store: often Indian meal moths
A mistake we see
Throwing out the infested food and leaving the rest of the cupboard as it is. Moth larvae and beetles wander, crawl into folds of packaging and hide in cracks in the shelving. Unless the whole cupboard is emptied, checked, vacuumed and wiped down, they're back in the next packet of rice within weeks.
How much will it cost?
It depends on what's being fumigated and how. A single piece of furniture under sheeting is a much smaller job than a whole flat or a stock room. Price also depends on how easily the space can be sealed, the exposure time and how much preparation is involved. Doing it in the off-season can make it simpler to arrange, which helps. We'll come and look, then give you a quote that sets out the sealing time and what you need to do beforehand.
If gas isn't needed, our insect control and cockroach control in Hartenbos pages cover the usual treatments. For larger fumigation jobs, see fumigation in George or our work next door in Mossel Bay.
We're SAPCA registered and have worked in the Garden Route for more than 25 years. Call 044 012 5011 and describe what you've found, and we'll take it from there.
Questions we get asked
Can a single piece of furniture be fumigated?
Yes, a wardrobe, bed or cupboard with borer can be fumigated on its own under gas-proof sheeting, which often avoids sealing the whole flat.
Do I have to tell my body corporate?
In a sectional title complex you usually should, because fumigation affects access and shared areas. It also lets neighbours plan around it.
Can other units in the complex stay occupied?
Only if the fumigated space can be sealed safely from them, which we check before agreeing to do the job. Anyone in the sealed area itself must leave until we clear it.
What's the best time of year to fumigate in Hartenbos?
The off-season, from about winter into early spring. Units are empty, so it's easier to keep the area vacated for the full exposure time.
Should I fumigate my flat for cockroaches?
No, cockroaches respond much better to gel baits and residual sprays. Those treatments don't need you to move out, and they keep working after we leave.