What fumigation day actually looks like
Fumigation is more of a logistics project than a service visit, and knowing the sequence removes most of the anxiety. Before the date, you will get a preparation list. Food, medicine, and some other consumables must be removed or sealed in supplied bags. Plants come out. Pets and people leave, including anyone in an attached unit. The company will want to know about roof condition, since tarps need a structure they can seal, and about access to every side of the building. On day one, crews tarp the house, seal it, and introduce the fumigant. Warning signage goes up and the structure is secured. In a dense Los Angeles neighborhood, expect conversations about parking, side yard access, and where equipment stages. On the following days the gas works through the wood, then the structure is aerated and tested before it is released. You do not go back in until clearance is issued. Ask in advance who is responsible for the roof if tarps damage tile or aging composition, and what documentation you receive at the end. That paperwork matters in a sale.
When localized treatment is enough and when it is not
Localized drywood treatment is appealing because nobody leaves the house, and it is the right answer in a narrow set of cases. It fits when the infestation is confined and reachable: one door frame, a short run of fascia, a single beam in a garage, discovered early with no evidence anywhere else. The wood is drilled and treated directly, and adjacent accessible wood may get a borate application. It stops fitting when evidence turns up in more than one area, when framing is hidden behind finishes, or when the attic cannot be fully inspected. Drywood colonies swarm internally, and a colony you never found keeps working regardless of what happened to the one you did. The honest question to ask a company recommending localized work is how they satisfied themselves that nothing else is active. Look for a described inspection process rather than a shrug. Also ask about follow up. A localized treatment with a scheduled reinspection is a reasonable plan. A localized treatment with no follow up is a gamble on the inspector having found everything on one visit.
Choosing between a soil barrier and bait stations
If your Los Angeles inspection found subterranean activity rather than drywood, the choice narrows to two approaches with genuinely different profiles. A liquid barrier is fast. Soil is trenched, concrete is drilled where walkways, patios, and garage slabs block access, and the treated zone stops foragers crossing it. On a typical slab home with hardscape close to the walls, expect drilling to be a real part of the job, and expect patched holes afterward. Baiting is slow and quiet. Stations go in the soil, get serviced on a schedule, and the colony declines over months. Nothing is cut. Because western subterranean termites in this region may swarm at any time of year, the running record of station activity is genuinely informative rather than decorative. University of Florida guidance is direct that bait protection continues only while stations are maintained, so treat the annual service cost as part of the price rather than an add on. If a closing date is driving you, ask which option can be completed and documented within your window. That question usually answers itself.
What you are responsible for before and after treatment
Every termite method here comes with homeowner tasks, and missing them is the most common cause of delays. Before a whole structure treatment, that means the preparation list: food and medicine removed or bagged, plants out, pets arranged, access provided to every exterior side, and interior doors and cabinets often left open. Clearing stored belongings away from garage walls and attic hatches also helps the crew reach what they need. Before a soil barrier, move vehicles, pull back planters and stored items along the perimeter, and expect landscaping near the wall to be disturbed. Afterward, the work is verification and maintenance. Sweep areas where pellets accumulated and check them again in a few weeks, because a fresh pile is the clearest sign that something was missed. Keep the completion documentation with your property records. Then close the loop on conditions: seal the bare wood that let swarmers in, screen the vents, and fix the irrigation that kept soil damp. Treatment resets the clock, and maintenance is what keeps it from running out early.
Verifying the work and planning the follow up
The end of a treatment is not the end of the job, and a few habits keep you from paying for the same problem twice. Start with the paperwork. You should have a document stating what was treated, by what method, on what date, under which license branch, and what the company's obligations are if activity reappears. In a Los Angeles transaction that document has resale value, so keep it filed rather than loose. Next, set a reinspection interval. If your proposal included reinspections, put them on a calendar rather than waiting for a reminder. If it did not, decide what you will pay annually and treat it as part of the total cost. Then build the seasonal habit. Check under the eaves and along the garage door frame during summer and fall, when drywood swarmers fly in daylight. Check the foundation and stem wall after the first soaking rain of the season, when California Reticulitermes flights follow. Finally, repair what was damaged. Killing a colony does not restore a rafter tail, and weathered damaged wood on an exterior in this climate deteriorates quickly on its own.