do termites eat cellulose insulation?
#1
In removing old termite damage, the fiberglass insulation was intact, but the vapor barrier was eaten away. Do termites eat cellulose insulation?
#2
Pests and critters avoid cellulose insulation because of the chemicals that are used to make it fire retardant. But don't let that scare you -- it's a lot of the same chemicals that are used to make underarm deodorant!
#3
Join Date: Feb 1998
Location: The Shake and Bake State USA
Posts: 9,927
Upvotes: 0
Received 7 Upvotes
on
6 Posts
Hi:noneck
To directly reply to your question, the answer is no!
Termites do not eat the vapor barrier paper, insulation nor wood.
However, these tiny flying distructive $#@%$#@!% do chew thru it, into the wood of your house, garage, fence and dam near any wooden item to build a nest and cause you major GRIEF! <haha>
They also cause you to dam near bust your bank with the costs to attempt to rid your place of them too! I'm sure your currently aware of this also.
The sad part is these insects are tenacious. Once you do get them all out and make all the needed repairs, you may soon be lulled into a false sense of completion.
Just around that time and long before your piggy bank refills, you'll see them return again, as in total definance. <haha>
Been there and done that.
Good Luck,
Tom
To directly reply to your question, the answer is no!
Termites do not eat the vapor barrier paper, insulation nor wood.
However, these tiny flying distructive $#@%$#@!% do chew thru it, into the wood of your house, garage, fence and dam near any wooden item to build a nest and cause you major GRIEF! <haha>
They also cause you to dam near bust your bank with the costs to attempt to rid your place of them too! I'm sure your currently aware of this also.
The sad part is these insects are tenacious. Once you do get them all out and make all the needed repairs, you may soon be lulled into a false sense of completion.
Just around that time and long before your piggy bank refills, you'll see them return again, as in total definance. <haha>
Been there and done that.
Good Luck,
Tom
#4
They eat foam!
My old house had a foam board with foil coatings under the sheathing. Termites ate it up good (foam part)! Don't know the brand or exact material, but I was surprised by their actions. When I pulled back the batt insulation, everything looked ok, but if I ran my hand along the inside of the insulation board, I would poke right through it. The studs were untouched, though. Go figure. (Only owned the house for two years. Previous owners disclosed the termite damage. Wonder if it was a different critter doing the damage and they got taken by the pest company)