Summer is the hot season for fumigating homes, since termites and other critters are more active in warmer temperatures.

But as local residents rid themselves of one problem, tenting their homes can leave them open to another concern: burglars.

The number of burglaries in structures being fumigated isn’t a significant problem, police say, but the break-ins that do occur can happen to homes small or large, modest or expensive.

Often, victims lose valuables or emotional keepsakes. And only then do they learn that paying for security rests on their shoulders, not the companies that tented and fumigated their homes.

Raul Herrada, a Fullerton homeowner, was shocked after someone ransacked his home while it was tented last month, leaving closets emptied and drawers turned upside down. The culprits, who haven’t been caught, stole only one object: a leaf blower. But they also took something more irreplaceable: Herrada’s peace of mind.

“Now my family and I are more vigilant,” Herrada, a husband and father of three, said. “We never had something like this happen before.”

The problem doesn’t only affect houses.

On May 19, two men equipped with gas masks and goggles slashed the tents covering a 20-unit apartment complex in Garden Grove and entered a few of the the apartments. One of the burglars was arrested carrying a bag of stolen goods, while the other escaped with more pilfered property.

In both cases, the vacated dwellings had no security to protect them.

Last year, about 15,000 fumigation jobs were conducted in Orange County. There are about 90 licensed fumigators in the county, of whom 60 are currently active.

To fumigate a house in Orange County costs from $1,100 (for a mobile home) up to $3,000 or more, depending on the cubic footage of the structure, according to Willy Leon, co-owner and operator of Carnival Fumigation in Fullerton.

Inspectors who examine homes for pests would typically recommend full-scale fumigation if they find significant or inaccesible infestation. The company may recommend a spot treatment if it thinks the infestation is minimal or limited to an accessible area.

HOMEOWNERS

For Herrada, who has lived in his house in Fullerton for 12 years, fumigating for termites was a necessity. He signed paperwork from the tenting company which said it, like most other companies, did not provide security. But he didn’t think anything of it.

“People fumigate all the time,” Herrada said. “I just planned to drive around and check on it, but we can’t be here all the time with work.”

Herrada’s house was an easy target. In his case, the prowler unhinged the clips on the tent overnight and entered his one-story house through an open window.

Why was Herrada’s window open? Because that’s part of the fumigation procedure. It’s necessary for fans to fully ventilate the space, according to Leon.

Another concern: tenting companies require that residents turn off any security alarms so workers can come and go as needed. This adds another dimension of vulnerability.

While the termite poison generally dissipates, it’s still a risk for burglars to enter because harmful fumes can linger. In April 2014, a suspected burglar was found dead inside a fumigated home in Westminster. He is believed to have died from the fumes.

“Others may wait for the fumes to dissipate adequately before entering homes,” said Jennifer Manzella of the Newport Beach Police Department.

That city only had four burglaries of tented homes in 2014, but in each case suspects made off with jewelry, collectibles and small art pieces.

Leon, the fumigator, admits that entry itself is rarely a challenge.

“It’s fairly easy to get in,” he said. “They don’t even have to undo the clips. All they have to do is get a razor and cut the tent and walk in.”

RENTERS

Tent slashing was the chosen method of the two men who entered the Garden Grove apartment complex earlier this month.

Wearing goggles and masks to ward off any fumes, they slashed the tents repeatedly to break in. The tents themselves cost up to $800 each, said Tai Asoau, a field manager at Megafume, a tenting company in Orange.

Owners and managers are not obligated to hire security, but tenting companies often suggest they do, especially in communal complexes with lots of shared space. Asoau advises his clients to consider getting on-site security.

Jesus Bautista, the apartment manager at the Garden Grove complex, in the 9300 block of Chapman Avenue, said the owner had not hired any sort of security for the two story complex.

The renters at the complex all stayed at nearby hotels paid for by the owners, which the California Civil Code requires during fumigation. Property owners and managers are also responsible for informing tenants how to prepare their living units for fumigation.

“This is the first time we fumigated and this happens,” Bautista said outside the complex the day after the burglary. The thieves had waited a day after the units were tented before entering. Fortunately, someone spotted them and called police.

The suspect who was arrested broke into at least two units and was found with around $4,000 worth of jewelry, cash and video games, according to Lt. Bob Bogue of the Garden Grove Police Department. Some residents subsequently reported other items missing that may have been taken by the suspect who fled.

“These burglaries aren’t new; 25 years ago I remember chasing guys running out of tented houses,” said Lt. Ted Peaslee of the Garden Grove Police Department. “They’re like any other residential burglary. It’s hard to track them down.”

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