How to Prepare Your Home for Termite Drilling Treatment

If a termite inspection has recommended drilling treatment, a little preparation makes the visit quicker, safer and tidier. This guide explains how to prepare for termite treatment in an occupied home: what to move, what to tell the technician, how to protect children and pets, and what happens when the holes are filled and sealed afterwards.

It focuses on the day of treatment. For an overview of the service itself, see our termite control service page.

What does termite drilling treatment involve?

In a building that is already lived in, the usual method is called drill-fill-seal. Subterranean termites travel up from the soil, so the aim is to create a treated zone in the soil under and around the building where they enter.

1. Drilling: small holes are drilled through the floor, usually along the junction where the floor meets the wall, around door frames and at other points the inspection has identified. External walls may also be drilled or treated at the base.
2. Filling: a diluted termiticide is injected into each hole so it soaks into the soil beneath the floor.
3. Sealing: the holes are closed with a filler such as cement so the floor is usable again.

Affected woodwork, like door and window frames, may also be treated. The approach follows the Indian Standard for post-construction anti-termite treatment (IS 6313 Part 3), with the technician adapting hole positions to your rooms. If you are not sure whether the damage is from termites or beetles, read how to tell termites from wood borer first, because the preparation is different.

What should you do, and when?

A simple timeline helps households and housing societies plan without a last-minute rush.

How do you clear access to wall edges and floors?

The technician needs to reach the base of each wall in the rooms being treated, with enough space to kneel and work a drill safely. As a rule of thumb, leave a clear strip of roughly a couple of feet along each wall.

Furniture and stored items

• Pull sofas, beds, tables, shoe racks and bookshelves away from the walls.
• Lift rugs, mats and carpets near the walls, and roll them away.
• Clear boxes, suitcases and bags stored under beds or along walls.
• Take down or move items leaning against walls, such as mirrors, frames and mattresses.
• Move potted plants away from the base of walls and balcony edges.

Kitchens, storerooms and built-in cupboards

Built-in wardrobes and modular kitchen units often sit right on the area that needs drilling. Empty the bottom shelves and drawers so the technician can inspect and, if needed, drill or treat inside or beside them. Store food, utensils, crockery and drinking water in closed containers or in a room that is not being treated.

If something heavy cannot be moved, such as a fixed wardrobe or a large almirah, tell the team when you book. They can plan how to treat around it.

Leave the evidence alone

It is tempting to scrape off mud tubes or spray store-bought insecticide before the visit. Please do not. Mud tubes and damaged wood show where termites are active, and disturbing them can make it harder to decide where to drill.

What should you tell the technician about wiring and pipes?

Most Indian homes have concealed electrical conduits and water lines inside walls, and sometimes under floors. A drill bit can damage them, so this is the single most important thing to discuss before work starts.

• Concealed wiring: point out low switch boards, floor-level sockets, and any wiring you know runs along the floor or skirting.
• Water and drainage: show where pipes run to bathrooms, kitchens, wash areas and overhead or underground tanks.
• Gas lines: if your building has piped gas, show where the line enters and runs.
• Plans: if you have architect or electrician drawings, keep them handy.
• Recent work: mention any renovation, new tiling or re-plumbing, as these may not match older plans.

Unplug and move appliances and extension cords that sit at floor level along walls being drilled. The technician may also need access to a power point for the drill and a tap for water, so let them know which ones to use.

How do you keep children, pets and family members safe?

Drilling creates noise and dust, and the treatment liquid is a pesticide, so the simplest approach is to keep people and animals away from the working area.

• Keep children out of treated rooms during drilling and injection, and until holes are sealed and surfaces are dry, or as the technician advises.
• Move dogs and cats to a room that is not being treated, or arrange for them to stay with someone. Take their food bowls, water, bedding and toys with them.
• Cover fish tanks, and move bird cages and small pets out of the treatment area.
• If anyone in the home is pregnant, elderly, or has asthma or other breathing problems, consider having them stay elsewhere during the visit, and check with your doctor if you are unsure.
• Keep windows open where possible to ventilate rooms during and after treatment.

Products should be used according to label directions. Our company maintains Material Safety Data Sheets for the products it uses, so you can ask about what is being applied. If anyone feels unwell after a treatment, see a doctor and take the product details with you.

What about flats and housing societies?

In an apartment, treatment inside one flat protects that flat, but termites can also travel through shared walls, ducts and the building's foundations. If several flats have the same problem, it is worth raising it with your society so common areas can be inspected too.

Inform the society office before the visit, as drilling can be loud and some societies have rules about working times. If the external perimeter or common areas need treatment, the society's permission is usually required.

Clean-up and sealing: what should you expect afterwards?

Once injection is complete, each hole is filled and sealed. On plain cement or tiled floors, the sealed holes will usually still be visible as small round patches, and the colour may not match exactly. On marble, granite or decorative tiles, discuss hole positions beforehand; drilling along grout lines or skirting edges can make the marks less noticeable.

Your after-treatment checklist

1. Walk around each treated room and check every hole is sealed. Point out any that are missed before the technician leaves.
2. Ventilate the rooms for a while before moving furniture back.
3. Dust surfaces with a dry cloth; avoid heavy wet-mopping along treated wall edges until you are told it is fine.
4. Wash hands after handling items that were in the treated area.
5. Keep your service report and the post-service instructions safe.

Avoid fresh drilling, tiling or digging along treated areas soon after the visit, because this can disturb the treated zone. In Goa, warranty applies to the treated area for specific services as set out in the service agreement, and it excludes structural changes or not following post-service instructions; see our terms and conditions. To understand what affects protection over time, read how long anti-termite treatment lasts, and for the full sequence of a visit see how we work: inspection, treatment and follow-up.

Getting help in Goa or the Hyderabad region

A responsible adult from the household should be present during the visit to guide the technician and answer questions about the home. Every house is different, so the technician will give you instructions specific to your rooms after the inspection.

In Goa, you can contact our Goa branch in Chimbel to discuss a termite inspection. In the Hyderabad region, our Shamshabad branch has recently opened — tell us your location and the problem, and we'll confirm whether we can help.