Maria Lukyanenko/ article author
Identification of pests, work with insect cultures, micrograph of insects, bibliographic studies.

Ants, foam and polystyrene

Penoplex and polystyrene are a cheap insulation with many advantages. Its service life is fifty years, and installation is easy and quick. They can insulate any part of the house. But a problem may arise - ants in penoplex. Insects easily organize an anthill there and bring inconvenience to humans.

Why do ants live in a heater

Expanded polystyrene is an organic product that does not contain harmful substances, has a porous structure. In it you can equip a nest and make moves.

On a note!

Some complain what ants eat penoplex. But heat-insulating material is not food for workers. They can feed on food waste and other small insects.

Ants in the foam can settle, because it has the following properties:

  • it holds heat and it is impossible to freeze inside even in winter;
  • there is air in the insulation - pests can breathe there;
  • mold does not propagate in the material;
  • An optimal level of humidity is maintained inside.
Styrofoam ants
Styrofoam ants

On a note!

Material is loved not only by small workers. Various bugs, midges, mice and rats gnaw a penoplex because of its soft texture.

Getting rid of penoplex from ants can be very difficult. Not always helping out strong poisons and time-tested home recipes. Therefore, even before warming, it is worth taking care of prevention.

How to protect a heater

Ants and penoplex can exist together. But arthropods spoil the material, reducing its thermal insulation properties and shortening its service life. There are several ways to protect penoplex from ants:

  1. It should be closed with a tin plate or concrete.
  2. Hard plates should be bought without damage.
  3. When building a house, it is necessary to make a strip foundation.
  4. Treat penoplex with copper sulfate, which is able to protect the house from ants.
  5. The plate can be covered with a layer of paint.

Ways to kill insects
Ways to kill insects

Ants are planted where there is food for them. Therefore, you need to monitor the cleanliness of the room and not leave crumbs and food debris on the floor. Then you do not have to get rid of various animals.

A good preventive measure is electromagnetic repeller. The device emits waves that can penetrate walls. They create conditions that are uncomfortable for the life of various insects and prevent the appearance of “unwanted guests” in the house.

On a note!

The ant trail can be treated with salt, vinegar, or unrefined oil. Arthropods will prefer to leave this place. Or worth finding anthill and destroy it.

If ants already live in penoplex, then you should turn to pest control. Specialists from the service will quickly destroy animals. Before processing, food and clothing should be removed from the premises, and furniture should be closed so that toxic substance does not get on its surface.

So that pests do not wound up in thermal insulation, you should carefully approach the choice of material. It should be tight and even, without damage. The insulation will protect concrete or iron plates, and if the protection did not help, then the best solution would be to call the pest control.

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Comments10
  1. Liza

    Cool article. Going to build a house. Now I will carefully consider the choice of insulation.

  2. Andrew

    And I praised this penoplex - inexpensive, convenient, repels pests.Is this all a lie?

    1. Alexei

      Andrey, half of what a store consultant and a builder tell you are a lie. They need to sell goods faster and more expensive. That's all sorts of nonsense.

  3. Alina

    I have ants in the insulation. I tried many ways. Probably have to call the service. And I don’t feel like it!

  4. Artyom

    I'm building my house now. It is located not far from the forest, and I wanted to insulate with penoplex. Thank you for the article. Now I will look for other material. Better to pay more, but in the future do not worry about anything.

    1. Katia

      Why look for something more expensive if you can protect this material. I processed it with copper sulfate. No problems have arisen yet. And the house costs more than one year.

      1. PEOPLE

        Hello Katya, you can find out in more detail how they were treated with vitriol. And then I bought and I want to beat. Tell me please.

  5. Egor Alexandrovich

    Thanks for the informative material. I already bought penoplex, and a friend said that ants love insulation. But now I know how to do prevention.

  6. Antonina

    I was just looking for how to get rid of insects in a heater. Thanks for the detailed explanation.

  7. Nazar

    I bought a plot with a house. It turned out that the house is insulated with penoplex. An unpleasant surprise was the fact that ants live there. Gonna call the pest control.

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