How Insulation Helps Prevent Pest Infestations

Can Insulation Help Keep Pests Out of Your Home?

Apart from not having to live in a cold, icy tundra or sweltering rainforest, insulation helps to regulate the temperature in your home as it keeps your home at a moderate and desired room temperature all year round, protecting against extreme cold snaps in winter or excessive heat wave during summer. Plus, it works in tandem with your home’s HVAC system to create an energy-efficient home, as insulation is resistant to heat flow and lowers your heating and cooling costs. But many people are unaware that insulation can also help to keep pests out of your home.

By outrightly ignoring home insulation you sacrifice not only your comfort due to fluctuating temperatures and hot and cold zones, but you also compromise the structural integrity of your home as a house without insulation is more susceptible to higher humidity levels and moisture damage resulting in mold and mildew growth, frozen pipes that can clog and burst to flood your basement, and soaring monthly utility bills. And so insulation is a great air-sealing mechanism to reduce cold drafts and air leaks into and out of your home, in addition to its ability to discourage pests. If you’re worried about pest infestations, it’s about time to ask a local Memphis insulation technician from Koala Insulation of Midsouth for an insulation repair or replacement service.

Why Do Homeowners Get Bugged Out By Pests In Their Insulation? 

You may have more than goosebumps on your skin from the chilly house to be concerned about. For all the creepy and crawly critters, none of us want to encounter a nasty pest invasion in our humble abodes. If you’re not careful you will quickly find your attic wallboards become a breeding ground for rodents and bugs alike from mice, rats, cockroaches, beetles, ants, mosquitos, bees, spiders, flies, termites, bed bugs, and more. 

Not only will they procreate and multiply, but they will defecate, build nests within the insulation material itself and even eat away the material fibers. Not only can this result in costly damage, but it also affects your health and safety. Insects in particular, simply can’t be snuffed out using a pesticide too so you are best advised to choose a type of insulation material that is the most adaptable to a pest invasion.

What Pesky Pests Will Your Encounter In Insulation?

• Cockroaches: Not only is having the wrong type of insulation bad for your home’s energy consumption but having the incorrect or old, dirty insulation can also attract insects to your home. Cockroaches especially love poor and matted insulation to give themselves a nice and cozy home base. 
• Fleas: Fleas prefer contaminated insulation rather than damaged one and are social insects as other insects tag along, such as fleas, ticks, and bed bugs, which all lay eggs and nest inside of the insulation. Be especially aware of leaky roofs, which can contaminate your attic’s insulation due to the leftover debris. 
• Ants: Ants prefer to chew up insulation and dig through to build tunnels. Although they don’t eat and consume the actual insulation material itself, unlike cockroaches, they do badly damage the insulation so it’s no longer salvageable. Given the fact there are up to 10,000 species, from carpenter ants to fire ants and pharaoh ants, it’s a force to be slowly but surely reckoned with. 
• Mosquitos: We all know the aftermath of an itchy mosquito bite and of course, the fact that the average mosquito could potentially pass along diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, and more. By insulating your attic and basement, you can avoid their infiltration in the thick of summer. 
• Mice, Rats, And Other Rodents: The best way to stop these rodents from nesting inside of your insulation is to locate and round off all possible access points by sealing them up, especially any small holes. You may need to set out bait if the problem is out of control.

How To Pest-Proof Your Home: Top 3 Ways Insulation Blocks a Pest Infestation 

Blocking And Sealing: Insulation Upholds A Physical Barrier

First and foremost, insulation blocks pests because they act as a physical barrier. Most types of insulation are treated with a coating of boric acid or other pest-resistant chemicals that will be lethal to the insect or rodent if ingested. No longer will your cotton candy-like loosefill fiberglass be a yummy delight, but instead, poison for the cockroach. 

Fluctuating Temperatures: All About Humidity Control

Not only does excessive moisture reduce the effectiveness of insulation, especially cellulose fiber, but we all know pests love moisture, especially specific ones like cockroaches, silverfish, earwigs, spiders, and centipedes, and once they detect moisture-prone areas, they’ll nestle in. 

Your best bet is to eliminate these sources of moisture by controlling the humidity levels in your house by investing in a humidifier, fixing leaks, replacing old weatherstripping around entrances and exits, and of course, installing the appropriate type and material of insulation. If your home has no insulation whatsoever don’t be surprised to see bugs raiding your kitchen countertops and cabinets and also your bathroom floors. 

Water Leakages In Attic: Water And Moisture Damage No More

If an ice dam happens to clog your gutters and result in a leaky roof and following suit, water leaks in your attic don’t be surprised to see a cesspool of insects crawling around. Not only has the structural integrity of your home been compromised, resulting in rotting wood beams from moisture damage, but you’re bugged out. Certain types of insulation bode well in moisture-prone environments compared to others, for example, spray foam insulation which is impermeable to water.

Best Materials To Prevent A Pesky Pest Invasion 

Spray Foam

 This is a chemical-based and spray-on insulation material that is best reserved for sealing cracks, holes, and gaps and is also one of the most recommended materials to block pests. The substance is made of a blend of isocyanate and polyol, which mix to form a cocoon that expands multiple times its liquid volume when applied to a solid surface. Spray foam prevents heat transfer by acting as a tight seal and forging an airtight barrier around the room to stop hold and cold air, vapor, and moisture. Typically, you would thickly layer swaths of spray foam onto the attic ceiling and beams, your basement wallboards, etc, to ward off pests. Most expanding foam products have been developed not only to insulate buildings but contain an olfactory deterrent that prevents pests and rodents such as mice, birds, bats, squirrels, and bugs. 

Cellulose

This is a plant-based fiber made from recycled paper or wood pulp used to stop heat loss and muffle noise pollution. Apart from being fire-resistant and preventing mold and mildew growth is also a great method to prevent pests from invading and improving energy efficiency. Cellulose works best against common household pests such as cockroaches, ants, beetles, silverfish, and earwigs as it contains boric acid. 

Polyurethane

Similar to spray foam insulation, polyurethane is a great deterrent against any bugs or insects. As a chemical-based solution, it comes in a wide range of applications as a fiber, adhesive, coating, and lastly, foam insulation. Remember, most pests don’t use insulation as a source of food but as a nesting spot. Because polyurethane is more rigid it’s not exactly a decent nest-building material. It’s slightly more studier than spray foam in that sense as it will plug up any gaps or cracks and doesn't shrink, unlike generic spray foam, so no insect will make your insulation their dwelling anytime soon.