Termites are plentiful in Hawaii and, if left alone they can literally eat you out of house and home. But they don’t draw the line at residential dwellings. Anything made out of wood is fair game. So every few years, buildings get tented and the termites get gassed.
Tenting a house is a something of a production, but bigger buildings are a major undertaking. These photos show the local Catholic church being tented. The crane is needed to haul the heavy tarps into place and also to lift workers up and down.
The tarps generally stay on for around 24 hours, before the whole process is reversed and the tarps removed. Once the building has aired out, it’s good to go for another few years. This is the second time, since I moved here, that I’ve seen this church tented. I do wonder about certain theological aspects of this process. I mean, aren’t termites God’s creatures, too?
Graham's Island 
I am not sure I could go into a building that has poisonous gasses permeate the structure and everything inside as I guess they don’t remove the whole contents prior to gassing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some things are removed, some things sealed, but the idea is for the gas to get into the nooks and crannies where there are termites. Some treatments are less toxic than others but yes, there are health considerations. Probably considerably less dangerous than driving a car though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess so. The termites here are voracious but I don’t think the gassing of buildings happens. The soil under structures get treated and nowadays the chemicals aren’t as toxic
LikeLiked by 1 person
The gassing is for flying termites. There are also ground termites here that are treated differently. Do you have both kinds there or just the ground termites?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They only fly when it’s time to create a new nest. Usually at a full Moon after some rain
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our termites live in the wood and as they expand their nest they shove little pellets out, creating piles on kitchen counters and the like. They usually only fly once a year, in May around here, when they leave the nest to build new ones. When they find someplace nice, they shed their wings, bore into the wood, and start over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s good of them to let you know they are there 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm, when God’s house starts falling down he might not be so impressed with them? Oo- is that sacrilege? Interesting process, I’ve never come across before, Graham 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
My rental was being ravaged by termites until our our current landlord bought the place, fixed it up and tented it. I had no compunction about squashing the termites when they emerged, but in church? There are many questions to answer!
LikeLiked by 1 person