Would you leave instruments out during fumigation?

I agree I would not leave them.
It means packing them all up, but my living room has a parking spot for them.
 
ahoy

no reason to leave it out

termites need a direct path between
wood they are eating and the ground

if you leave the uke in the house
how are you going to play it
while the house is being fumigated

yours truly
mac
 
I just fumigated my house last month I left all my ukes in the house in cases..i see nothing wrong with my ukes...all my clothes were left hanging also....

but if you think it is safer than take them with you
 
Good question. Is there any possibility that any termites are hiding out in your ukuleles? If you take them out during the fumigation, then return them, that might defeat the purpose. But I think that perhaps the best advise is to ask the exterminator, rather than a bunch of obsessed ukulele fanatics on an internet forum who are of course going to tell you to get them out of there. But what about your clothes, and your silverware, and your towels, and sheets, do you have to remove all of that as well? How about furniture? I mean, there is other stuff in your house, are you worried about any of that? How are your ukuleles different. Like I said, ask the experts.
 
They say leave ukes out, just in case there might be termites hiding. I was thinking cases might be safer for ukes than hanging on the walls where they are now. We’re at the beach where humidity isn’t a problem but termites are.
 
Umm, depends on how aggressive your termites are.
 
No way I'd risk smelling termite spray inside my ukes, instead of the various sweet wood vapors. I'd move them for sure, just to be sure. case.

+1 Totally :agree:
 
You'd already know if termites were in your uke/uke cases. They usually like to tunnel through wood in walls or make their own mud tunnels.
 
I spent a year on a consulting project in the pest industry (bed bugs), and had exposure to other pest control issues. I'm certainly not expert, but what they use when the tent for termites is an odorless gas that forces the oxygen out of the building, which kills the termites. It will not harm your furniture or instruments. What sucks about termites is all depends on the way the wind blows. Next termite season, if a swarm lands on your house, you'll be invested all over again (and have to tent again). That's why most companies offer a few year guarantee.

When may place was tented a few years ago, I locked my ukes in a closet and took one with me.
 
Found this online...
"Our beautiful mahogany credenza had white pine parts that had to be ripped-out because of termites. We stack most of our lumber in the soon-to-be tree house suite where it is out of the rain and protected. If you go through this pile when selecting lumber you can get a good idea of the termite resistance of the various woods. Mahogany never has any termites and cedar doesn't either except in the sap wood. So any cedar boards that were plain sawn (not quarter sawn) from smaller logs end up riddled with termites near the edges where the sap wood was. So that wood has to be thrown away or ripped to a narrower board which only has the cedar heart wood. The termites are very selective. They know what they like and will choose one wood over another and only eat certain woods when they are very hungry.

Take a fine hard piece of oak and bury it in the wood pile. Stack the most toxic termite resistant boards you have around it. Hide it beneath mahogany. Cover it with teak. It doesn't matter if it is white oak or yellow oak. All that is required is it be oak. Then stand back. Wait a week and dive into the lumber pile. If you wait long enough you won't even be able to find the original oak board. Oak is termite candy. The rainforest termites have wings and they swarm all over searching for delectable woods.

I understand that termites don't eat mahogany because of a natural toxin that is in the lumber. When you are cutting and sanding mahogany it is important to not breath the dust (wear a mask with carbon filter cartridges). Cedar also has natural bug-resistant toxins."

To summarize another long study of Hawaiian tree resistance to termites I read, Termites will only go for Koa, if there is nothing they like better. They'd exhaust the pine and oak in our houses before they'd go for the ukes.
 
Pretty good idea for a thread. Our ukes don't seem to be affected by termites. I'll take one with me when we fumigate, the rest will go in the cases. I'm not playing them until after an airing out period.
You may have subterranean termites, if you do, you'll need another kind of killer. An entomologist at your county ag extension office can tell the difference.
 
I spent a year on a consulting project in the pest industry (bed bugs), and had exposure to other pest control issues. I'm certainly not expert, but what they use when the tent for termites is an odorless gas that forces the oxygen out of the building, which kills the termites. It will not harm your furniture or instruments. What sucks about termites is all depends on the way the wind blows. Next termite season, if a swarm lands on your house, you'll be invested all over again (and have to tent again). That's why most companies offer a few year guarantee.

When may place was tented a few years ago, I locked my ukes in a closet and took one with me.


you are right Eddie....they us odorless gas not any kind of spray/liquid... that is why you can leave your clothes etc..in the house....no smell of any kind and it does not harm ukes or expensive furniture...kind of crazy if you had to empty your house for fumigation..no one would do it Lol.. but like Rllink mentioned earlier you know folks on the UU will say to take your ukes out of the house... they are just ukes.....:)
 
Last edited:
Last time my building was fumigated as part of the process all cabinet doors were left open. I believe it was to insure all the fumigation gas was able to dissipate during the airing out process, to insure no one was hit with a pocket of gas when returning. Something you might want to consider when reopening your cases, if you leave your Ukes behind. Note there are at two types of termites subterranean and dry wood in California and I am sure the dry wood (ones tented for) would be more than happy to munch on any plywood in the cases or any spruce tops.
 
Interesting answers. I was more concerned about the security of leaving in the house. Cases and ukes are termite free. Will be no residue or smell when done. Those drywood termites are in the attics. Thanks for responding.
 
I am *so* thankful this thread exists, because my landlord is subjecting me to this sometime within the next few weeks and I'm completely stressed out and clueless. My biggest concerns were my cat and my ukes, and - I think this sorts out the ukes! The cat is going to be a bigger issue but it is what it is.

I just fumigated my house last month I left all my ukes in the house in cases..i see nothing wrong with my ukes...all my clothes were left hanging also....

Thanks for confirming this. I read the fact sheet about Vikane and even though I'm not going to do it, it says you can even leave food in the house if it's properly bagged. So my ukes will remain where they are, in cases, except for the two I'm bringing with me :)

what they use when the tent for termites is an odorless gas that forces the oxygen out of the building, which kills the termites. It will not harm your furniture or instruments...

When my place was tented a few years ago, I locked my ukes in a closet and took one with me.

The fact sheet confirms that yes, this is how it's done - an odorless gas rather than a chemical spray.

I was more concerned about the security of leaving in the house.

I'm a little worried about that (and my computer, which is too big to pack up and take with me) but I suppose that's why I have renter's insurance. Hopefully I'll never have to use it!
 
... they are just ukes.....

I never thought I'd see a UUer write that. What's wrong with you, man?

LOL
 
Top Bottom