I am aware of the wood treatment, but builders do not do it. Also they use fir which the termites greatly prefer rather than some other wood that they do not like so much.
Sirius - Termites are easy to prevent in new construction, even the aggressive kind now moving up the coast from SoCal to mid-Cal areas like Monterey due to warming climate. Things like wooden studs can either be pre-treated at higher expense in advance, or treated with nontoxic borate solution during construction. The underlying soil can also be treated. Local building codes apply regardless; but those are almost routinely violated and bribed away in many inland tract developments anyway, where long-term integrity of a building is very low on their priorities. In the past, places especially susceptible to termites, like Santa Barbara, once required old growth redwood framing due to its inherent resistance to bugs and dryrot; but now that's impossible because nearly all of it was cut down long ago.
And what amazes me about SoCal building codes, versus here on the NorCal coast, they allow substandard "whitewoods" like hemlock as framing, versus the Douglas fir mandated here, assuming of course the materials have been legally rated and sold, and not just arbitrarily sold under unofficial retail categories like the big box outlets use. It's all supposed to be checked for legitimacy by inspectors anyway, if they themselves happen to be competent and honest. Now engineered framing materials are beginning to take over, which have certain advantages in dimensional stability, strength, and linearity, but are still relatively expensive.
A fascinating exception to the lax LA standards is in Beverly Hills, where everyone is so rich and conscious of high property values that they are able to maintain a strictly run building inspection department. One of my former assistants became an Inspector there, and kinda became a hero to us when the little guy was given enough official clout to successfully shut down a massive shoddy illegal remodel in one of the alternate homes of a particularly famous individual (I won't say who, but it just might be coincidental with the most controversial name pervading the Soap Box portion of the forum; but I never go there, so can't say for sure). All the neighbors were certainly happy about that too. A fun anecdote, at least. Wish my own city had a clean inspection department; but it's 50/50. I lucked out with a good one when my darkroom was built and formally inspected - someone interested in building one for himself.
If the contractor gives you approved bags why not just use them??
General Use: Sulfuryl fluoride is odorless, colorless, non-flammable, non-reactive, and noncorrosive at temperatures normally encountered in structural and other fumigations. As a result, it can be used to fumigate photographic supplies, metals, paper, leather rubbers, plastics, cloths, wallpapers, household furnishings, and a variety of other articles.
Will Vikane harm my photographs?
No. Vikane has been used to fumigate commercial photographic establishments containing films and photographic papers. A brown cast has been seen on color prints developed with exposed solutions. No problems have occurred with photographic paper or plates.
If you have professional photographic materials, we recommend placing developing materials and fixing solutions in sealed bottles or creating new solutions after the fumigation. Do not leave developing materials in open trays.
Here's another paper which suggests you'll be OK:
https://allstarce.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Structural-Fumigation.pdf
They point out that this compound has frequently been used in museums, libraries, archives, and research facilities.
Page 6:
Here's a useful warning, however:
(From "LD Termite" website, Santa Maria CA)
Here's a useful warning, however:
(From "LD Termite" website, Santa Maria CA)
Paul, the outgassing of the silicone caulk would itself be an issue, except for a very expensive type not available in stores. But you're speaking hypothetically anyway. One should be fine with sealed polyethylene bags by themselves (but not vinyl).
And Donald - why would darkroom chemicals ever be in anything but an airtight chemically-inert bottles to begin with?
Well, ordinary masking tape is quite permeable, so it must not be that big a deal. Any serious tape would have to be polyethylene based itself, as well as designed to stick on poly reliably, and there are such things. But bags can simply be knotted at the top, and that reinforced with a wire twist tie or plastic zip tie. This is easy stuff to figure out. Why make a mountain out of a molehill ? If one has a major art collection, well, it might make better sense to temporarily relocate that.
Home darkrooms aren't like commercial labs of the past, which might have had hundred of gallons of already mixed and replenished solutions in their developing machinery. The relatively small quantities we use don't cost much in time and money to remix, are mostly stored in bottles anyway; and I use all of my own one-shot anyway, once diluted from the bottles to working strength. No big deal. Doesn't mean I want a visit from a fumigator, however. Got pets to think of too.
And Donald - why would darkroom chemicals ever be in anything but an airtight chemically-inert bottles to begin with?
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