DannyG Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 A friend (a builder) is trying to persuade me not go down the blown bead cavity insulation route. He claims that ant infestations are very common and that they bring soil into the cavity ultimately causing damp problems. Is this really that common? We have a lot of ant nests in our garden, every year I probably get rid of 10-20 of them from the lawn alone so this concerns me greatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Who would have thought it!? “Common”, I am not so sure of; I‘ve never seen it myself in over a 1/4 century of being in the construction industry ( but I’ll admit I wouldn’t have been expecting / looking for it ), but a random Google search ( posted as a non expert I hasten to add )….. Problem: Ants and insects infest poly-bead insulation Poly-bead insulation is prone to becoming a foodstuff and home for insects, bringing unwanted insect guests into the home and presenting an insect infestation that can be difficult to treat. Solution: Replace poly-beads with an insulation that won’t become a foodstuff for pests Chemical spray foam insulation is impervious to pests and insects, and won’t deteriorate or become food for such critters. This combined with the tough seal it provides against holes, gaps and nooks and crannies means that not only will pests not be able to find a home and infest within the insulation, they shouldn’t be able to enter the property at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Naughty @Nickfromwales ..!!! That’s advertisers bollox to make you buy their foam ..!! But like you, never heard of it, never seen it and tbh it’s inedible as it is polystyrene balls !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceverge Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 When clearing some abandoned farmyard about 7 years ago I found several Lumps of white EPS discarded , just thrown on the ground outside, covered in vegetation. They were lightly there since at least the 1970's if not earlier. Nothing had eaten them. They hadn't absorbed any moisture. No insects had made their home there. No plant roots had grown into them. It was pretty convincing. We put about 75m3 of EPS in our house subsequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 If you’re making your build airtight then no critters will get in anyway???, I have never heard of ants or anything else in poly insulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, PeterW said: Naughty @Nickfromwales ..!!! That’s advertisers bollox to make you buy their foam ..!! But like you, never heard of it, never seen it and tbh it’s inedible as it is polystyrene balls !!! I’ve been done again. Didn’t spot the embedded link. But had been doing a good few 16 hr days recently so asleep at the wheel sorry. I’ve been quite hungry on site a few times, but must admit I’ve never resorted to munching through an MBC passive raft!! Eaten a couple of kebabs off the pavement of course, ahhh….the good old days Edited September 28, 2022 by Nickfromwales 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyG Posted September 28, 2022 Author Share Posted September 28, 2022 29 minutes ago, joe90 said: If you’re making your build airtight then no critters will get in anyway???, I have never heard of ants or anything else in poly insulation. This would be outside the airtight layer though surely? I'm not concerned about them getting into the house, but bringing soil into the cavity would, I'm guessing, not be a good situation. I think maybe the examples he's heard of are either Chinese whispers or due to the PVC mix not being correct during installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radian Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 We get big mounds of earth everywhere in our garden due to ants. Any hollow ornaments outdoors are guaranteed to be full of them as well. But after opening the house and garage cavities for extensions there has been no sign of such an invasion which, now this topic has come up, surprises me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 26 minutes ago, DannyG said: This would be outside the airtight layer though surely? I'm not concerned about them getting into the house, but bringing soil into the cavity would, I'm guessing, not be a good situation. I think maybe the examples he's heard of are either Chinese whispers or due to the PVC mix not being correct during installation. OK so this sounds like old wives tales and here say ..! I’ve never seen it, and tbh it could be that your builder just wants to do it how he’s always done it. also, for beads you need to keep the cavity clean and that’s not simple so again it could be that he wants an easy life… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyG Posted September 28, 2022 Author Share Posted September 28, 2022 7 minutes ago, PeterW said: OK so this sounds like old wives tales and here say ..! I’ve never seen it, and tbh it could be that your builder just wants to do it how he’s always done it. also, for beads you need to keep the cavity clean and that’s not simple so again it could be that he wants an easy life… He's not my builder and won't be working on the project in any capacity so there's no bias in that sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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