You may have heard that the type of insulation you choose for your home has an effect on cockroaches, but you might not be sure how. Does insulation help prevent against cockroaches, or does it attract them? Do cockroaches live in insulation? Do they eat it? If any, what insulation keeps cockroaches out? These are important questions every homeowner should know the answers to. If you’re not sure yourself, you’ve come to the right place.
Insulation can be good or bad. Aside from the obvious energy bill savings it provides, insulation can also help prevent against pests such as cockroaches, termites, millipedes and silverfish. Unfortunately, just like having the wrong amount of insulation can actually be bad for your energy bill, having the wrong type – or old insulation – can attract insects to your home.
In the case of cockroaches, old or poor insulation can provide a home base for infestations. In some cases, insulation can also provide a meal. Roaches are opportunistic omnivores, meaning they’ll eat anything that is organic and available. Depending on the type of insulation you have in your home, you could be unknowingly rolling out the welcome mat. So, what insulation keeps cockroaches out?
Insulation that keeps cockroaches out. Not all types of insulation will help prevent against roaches, but almost any type can. That’s because the insulation must first be specially bonded with boric acid to help keep pests out of your home. Most insulation materials that are treated for pest control purposes can help take care of the most common home invaders, such as ants and cockroaches.
Boric acid used on insulation is deadly for roaches and other self-grooming insects. The treatment gets on the roach as it crawls around the insulation. When the treated roach gets back to its nest and grooms itself, it ingests the material and dies. Other roaches that come into contact with the affected roach – some even eating the dead roach – will die as well.
But just as boric acid is only effective against self-grooming insects, insulation isn’t enough to keep your home pest-free on its own. Yes, it provides another barrier of protection against roaches, but even insulation that keeps cockroaches out probably won’t work on spiders or a number of other common house pests. Instead, insulation should always be combined with a pest control plan offered by a reputable pest management professional.
If you’re worried about cockroaches living in your insulation, it’s time to do something about it. Call Terminix® to find out how having the right insulation can not only lower your energy bill, but fortify your home against roaches and other pests. Set up your free insulation inspection today and get insulation that keeps cockroaches out of your thoughts, by helping to keep them out of your home.
