How to Keep Bugs Out of Home Insulation

Insulation is a crucial part of your home. It keeps you warm, it keeps you cool, and it keeps your power bill down (way down). Without proper insulation, you leave your home at risk for myriad problems.

Protecting your insulation is therefore critical, and bugs pose one of the main threats. While bugs don't eat fiberglass and foam insulation, they do burrow through it, and that causes just as many problems as if they were munching away.

Regardless of the type of insulation you have, check it for damage from bugs and pests regularly (at least once a year). We recommend taking some preemptive measures to protect the insulation in your home as well. It was a little more costly upfront, it's going to save you money, time, and headaches in the future.

What to Do If You've Got Bugs in Your Insulation

If you find that your insulation has pests or bugs, you need to act fast. Depending on the type of bug infestation and the amount of damage that has been done, you may be able to simply eradicate the pests and fill in the insulation spots with foam insulation. But if the damage is extensive, you may find yourself in need of a professional exterminator and the use of professional-grade bug killers.

These professional bug eradicators can be poisonous, and you might even have to leave your home while the insulation is being treated. It's a hassle, but if you've got bugs, do not let the problem fester. The longer the bugs stay in your insulation, the more damage they'll do.

Once you have eradicated the bugs in your insulation and repaired the insulation, see if you can find out where the bugs are entering your home. It could be through a crack, or the siding, or even just a small hole somewhere in your attic.

If you can find them, patch or fill the entry points to prevent future bugs from making their home in yours. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Bug-Proofing

If you're building a new home, consider using insulation that has been treated using boric acid. The boric acid acts as a bug deterrent and keeps bugs and pests out of the insulation. Sometimes this insulation is called bug-treated or pest-treated insulation. Your contractor or your builder will know the ins and outs of this type of insulation. If you live in an area where there are lots of bugs, it's probably a good investment for you and your home.

If you live in an older home, or you're renovating, consider updating your insulation when it's time with insulation that has been treated with boric acid. If you're not at a point where you're ready to update the insulation in your home, consider treating your insulation with a bug repellent made specifically for homes in insulation.

If you do this, make sure that you read the instructions on the back of the bottle carefully. Many bug repellents and pest deterrents can be very toxic to children and pets, so you want to be very careful with what you bring into your home and who is around those chemicals. But if you follow the instructions on the back of the bottle or the spray, you'll be able to keep pests out of your insulation.

Before you treat your insulation with a pest or bug deterrent though, make sure that there are no bugs already living in your insulation.

Keeping bugs out of your insulation will help keep them out of your home in general, but if you do find yourself with a handful of creepy crawlies in your home, we've got you covered with DIY bug deterrents.