Insulation to Treat Your Pests

a close up of a pair of hands holding a handful of TAP insulation

Insulation to Treat Your Pests

Treating pests in St. Louis can be a constant battle. Keeping track of everything you need to do and maintain in order to deter bugs and rodents from your property can be overwhelming – and even more frustrating when you consider that you can do everything right and still wind up with an infestation. 

You know that you can trust the team at Blue Chip Pest Services to treat any infestation that may strike your St. Louis home. But wouldn’t you rather not have to call for treatment in the first place? There are “treated” insulation options that claim to act as a replacement for traditional pesticides, but what exactly does that mean? Does pest-treated insulation really work?

What is Treated Insulation?

If you’ve been looking into insulation, you may already be familiar with insulation treated with EPA-registered pesticides. They say this additional chemical component works to kill and deter a variety of pests and “protect” the home. But does it really? 

The harsh reality of treated insulation is that, while they function as passable insulators, they can only protect the insulation itself from pest damage. If you want to keep infestations from affecting your home and the people that need it, you’ll need something far more comprehensive. 

What is TAP Insulation?®

TAP, or Thermal Acoustic Pest Control Insulation, is a loose-fill, blown-in insulation made up of primarily recycled cellulose. Unlike treated insulation, TAP is not infused with any sort of inorganic solution. Instead, the individual pieces of cellulose are coated with Borate. Many pests, when they come into contact with this mineral, ingest it and cannot pass it, resulting in an eventual death from malnutrition or dehydration. 

This pest-killing insulation kills many of the major insect pests in St. Louis, from creatures as small as Formosan termites to those as large as roaches and slugs. With TAP, you can effectively kill infestations before they even have a chance to form, all without you having to lift a finger.

Benefits of TAP Insulation

Killing pests is only one benefit of installing TAP Pest Control Insulation. When installed correctly, TAP can last and remain effective almost indefinitely. As long as you monitor the moisture in your household, you’ll never need to worry about replacing your insulation. And even speaking outside the scope of pest control, TAP still acts as a quality insulator. It has a taller R-value than fiberglass, and it’s mold and heat resistant. It can even dampen sound flow, leaving your home energy-efficient and far more comfortable.  

Only those with the right training and certification can install TAP Insulation, which gives it a higher bar of quality compared to competitors. And if you’re a homeowner in St. Louis looking for TAP Pest Control Insulation, the best provider in the area is the team at Blue Chip Pest Services. 

Blue Chip Pest Services For Pest Control Insulation

Since we first opened our doors in 1971, we’ve been working to build a team that values thorough and ongoing training. We work to be the most qualified in the area at the things we do best – not only TAP Insulation, but all manner of pest control for homes and businesses across St. Louis. We can make moves to drastically improve the quality of life for you and anyone with whom you share a home. You don’t have to choose between pest protection and quality insulation. Let Blue Chip Pest Services install TAP insulation today and leave you with tangible peace of mind. Contact us today to get started.

Why is a Pest Control Company Installing Insulation?

ants on a baseboard

If you’ve been looking into pest control techniques in and around St. Louis, you may have heard of TAP Pest Control Insulation. It’s a specialized service offered by only a select group of exterminators across the country, but hearing that may come with some confusion. What is TAP insulation? Why would a pest control company install insulation? Whatever questions you may have about the product or the process, we can answer them!

What is TAP® Insulation?

TAP, or T·A·P as it’s sometimes spelled, stands for Thermal, Acoustical, Pest Control Insulation. Unlike sheets of fiberglass batting or globs of foam insulation, TAP is made up of loose cellulose that is blown into your attic or the voids in your walls. It settles, and once it does it can kill a variety of pests while also functioning as an excellent insulation.

How Does TAP Insulation Work?

Unlike other forms of insulation, TAP is specially treated with a borate solution that, to humans, is about as toxic as table salt. But as insects come into contact with it, the material sticks to their bodies and is then ingested when they groom themselves. Since they are unable to pass the substance, it gathers in their guts and eventually causes them to die of dehydration or malnutrition.

What Pests Does It Control?

You can see the complete list of pests that TAP insulation is effective against on the product’s EPA label. TAP is effective on smaller insects like ants and termites, as well as bigger pests like beetles, roaches, and slugs. TAP is not effective on rodents like rats, mice or squirrels.

How Eco-Friendly Is TAP Insulation?

Very! Cellulose is already viewed as one of the greenest building products in the world, and the cellulose we work with is over 80% recycled materials. If that wasn’t enough, TAP is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, which has devoted entire studies to knowing exactly how this product can control bugs and protect your home in a way that is sustainable as well as effective.

How Long Does TAP Last?

Since insects cannot build up a tolerance to the borate inside the cellulose, TAP insulation has the benefit of maintaining its pest-killing properties for decades at a time. Unless the material is damaged by moisture or rodents, it can insulate and kill pests for decades, without ever needing to be replaced!

What About my Existing Insulation?

If your existing insulation is damaged by rodents or excess moisture, you may want to consider getting it removed before installing a new material. If that isn’t the case, since TAP is loose fill, it can be easily blown in over any existing insulation.

But Is TAP Insulation Good Insulation?

That’s ultimately what it comes down to; isn’t it? It’s nice in theory to have insulation that can combat pests, but that won’t hold up if that same material can’t regulate temperature or block out sound. Luckily, TAP insulation does more than kill a majority of pests that come into contact with it. Since cellulose is thicker than other forms of traditional insulation, it slows the flow of air through it. That means that it keeps your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Your HVAC equipment will be able to run less often and use less energy, ultimately saving money on your annual heating and cooling bills. If that wasn’t enough, TAP is also highly effective acoustic insulation – reducing the outside noise that enters your home.

TAP Insulation is an extra layer of protection for any home in St. Louis. And Blue Chip Pest Services can help install TAP in your home today to keep it more comfortable and pest-free. Want to know more? Visit our TAP Insulation page!

Pest-Free with TAP Insulation

Ants crawling across a gray laminate floor

If you’re here, you probably know that you can contact Blue Chip Pest Services for your household pest control services. If you have an infestation in and around the St. Louis area, we can eradicate the problem and render you pest-free once more. But what if we were to tell you that there is a way that can protect your home from a majority of our region’s insect pests without you having to lift a finger?

It’s called TAP Insulation®, and we offer this service to not only keep homes free of common bugs, but also more efficient and environmentally sound. All of this is possible, and with Blue Chip Pest Services it’s never been easier.

What is TAP® Insulation?

Thermal Acoustical Pest Control, or TAP® Insulation, is a form of blown-in cellulose partially comprised of recycled newspaper. It’s loose-fill and easily added over any existing insulation in your walls or attic. What makes TAP® so unique is that its fibers are treated with a specially formulated borate solution. It’s not enough of a concentration to harm human beings or pests, but it’s targeted specifically to work as a constant pesticide right where your home is most vulnerable.

How Can TAP® Insulation Help?

TAP® Insulation is capable of killing the most common insect pests in the St. Louis area. It’s equally effective against ants as it is for roaches and certain termites. And it remains effective for as long as it’s installed, never needing to be replaced. Plus, insects can’t develop a tolerance to it.

Aside from its effect on insects, TAP® Insulation also functions as an all-around quality insulator. It’s  Energy Star certified, so as it deters pests it also works to lower your overall energy costs. TAP® Insulation is greener, efficient, and easy to install. When you consider all of that, as well as its pest-eliminating capabilities, it’s no wonder why so many homeowners are choosing Blue Chip Pest Services to install it in new and existing homes.

Insulation and Extermination from Blue Chip Pest Services

For decades, Blue Chip Pest Services has worked in pest control services for homes and businesses in the St. Louis area. We know how to combat an infestation of any scope – but even more than that, we know the steps to take that’ll keep you from ever getting an infestation to begin with. It’s never been easier than it is with TAP® Insulation, and we can help get this new bug barrier into your home. To get an estimate, contact us today!

Rodents in Home: Protecting Your Insulation

rat covering eyes with paws

Mice and rat infestations are easy to spot if you can recognize the signs. Regardless of the kind of rodent, their habits tend to be the same. They like to chew, chitter and scratch, and leave their dropping nearly everywhere you go. Once you find evidence of a rat or mouse infestation, you can call on the team at Blue Chip Exterminating to clear them out of your property. However, in many cases that’s not all that needs to be done. If the rodents in your house made their way into your home’s insulation, they likely caused damage beyond the scope of what an exterminator is qualified to handle.

What do rats and mice do to insulation? What can you do fully protect yourself fully from rodents and other pests? Let’s answer both below.

Rodents and Insulation: A Toxic Romance

The insulation in the walls and attic of your home functions by slowing the transfer of heat to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Fiberglass batting is the most popular choice for homes in the St. Louis area – and, coincidentally, it is also the most attractive to rodents. It’s soft and fluffy, very easy to tunnel through and tear to eat or make a nest. And since insulated areas are usually dark and undisturbed, they make a perfect home for rats and mice.

These areas are the first targeted when treating rodent infestations. But even if we remove rats and mice from the property, we can’t clean their droppings and other signs of their presence. You can’t clean or repair damaged insulation, and in many cases the best thing to do is replace the material. And we suggest leaving this job to a professional. Rodent droppings potentially contain Hantavirus, which can spread into the air if handled improperly. An expert can replace your insulation safely and effectively. You may be asking, though, do you have to wait for things to get that bad? Replacing even just your attic insulation can cost $2,500 or more on average. Is there a way to avoid costs like these?

Preventing Rodents through Wildlife Exclusion

It’s one thing to work to remove rats or mice from a house. It’s another to look at a rodent infestation and acknowledge that these pests got inside through somewhere. As you read this there are likely vulnerabilities in your property that rodents could get into. And the best way by far to protect your home’s insulation is by addressing these entry points that mice and rats can take advantage of. It’s called wildlife exclusion, and it’s a core component of our rodent extermination strategy. With that in place your property will be cleaner and able to function more efficiently.

Blue Chip Pest Services is well-trained in every aspect of rodent control and extermination. If you want a comprehensive level of service that works with your needs in mind, you’ve come to the right place. Contact us today to get started!