# What's eating the foam?



## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

Customer called me up last week complaining of rain coming in from the top of her storm door, the house is 14 years old stucco/cedar exterior.

I removed a rotted trim board to find holes in the styrofoam, anybody have a thought as to what created the hole in the bottom picture? The plan at this point is to replace the trim, clear caulk the stucco expansion joints and ignore the foam.


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## LocalSoljah (Sep 14, 2008)

Cant tell how big the hole is but my guess is rodent.


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

pretty common. Termites don't eat foam but they tunnel through it to get to the wood. 

Many years back, when we first were required to insulate our foundation/slabs, the proper place to install the foam was on the outside. Well it turns out this is perfect for termites. They can tunnel into the framing from underground.

It appears the problem is lack of flashing above the trim. Water travels within stucco similar to the way water travels in a sponge. One cannot seal to the surface of the stucco because the water is inside it. There should be flashing at the stucco penetrations to keep the water from entering the wood below it.


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## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

We don't have termites up here - yet. The hole is the size of a large pea, maybe 1/4" diameter (a bit larger than the asian beetles which of course were under the trim, they are _everywhere_ this fall but that would be thread drift....).


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

Bee


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

I know you have carpenter ants
up there.


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## BigoWhiteboy (Dec 28, 2007)

We have carpenter bees here in the south that do that to wood, but I have never seen it in foam


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## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

I think its from an Ecuadorian foamulater beetle. Not to be confused with the phoneyoulater beatle, because they don't return calls or go back.:whistling


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## Jimmy Roger (Nov 15, 2008)

Nice! I would never guess that it might be an Ecuadorian foamulater beetle


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## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

Little bugs and insects like using foam as a highway to get other places in the building. There is no nutritional value in the foam, but easy to run through.

Seal the bottom of the siding up and window flashing will help keep them at bay.


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## Driftwood (Feb 15, 2004)

*Not on this one*

You should see what crows can do to a foam roof. There selective . Every day
They pecked off the shell , the woman went NUTS from the sound. Hundreds of holes !


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## richard123 (Oct 13, 2008)

that doesnt look to healthy, i remember when i had this on my first construction job and it did turn out to be termites.


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## will575 (Nov 5, 2008)

All kinds of critters eat thru the foam to get at the inside


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## Dutch1962 (May 10, 2009)

Not termites. =no mud, not a mouse, = no dropping or debris. It could be small ants of some kind. Is that dirt or is that ant bodies?


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

I would put this issue under the microscope and investigate more thoroughly. If you can not still determine the cause, I would send that foam for an xray, but if time is an issue and water is entering the house... I would take everything apart, find the problem and fix it the right way, by looking at the pictures, there are many things that can use attention and improvement :thumbsup:


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## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

Dutch1962 said:


> Not termites. =no mud, not a mouse, = no dropping or debris. It could be small ants of some kind. Is that dirt or is that ant bodies?


Here is another picture.

I will be going back to repair some more trim on this house in a couple of weeks. Winter is finally over!! :clap:


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## rjconstructs (Apr 26, 2009)

If there is moisture there... I'd say termites.


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Having viewed ALL the US Termite Ranges, it is my conclusion that you DO have Termites where you reside!!!!


Main Site: http://www.termitesurvey.com/distribution.shtml













http://www.termitesurvey.com/distribution/reticulitermes_flavipes.shtml


It is also my conclusion that Florida is Fooked!!!


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## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

MALCO.New.York said:


> Having viewed ALL the US Termite Ranges, it is my conclusion that you DO have Termites where you reside!!!!
> 
> http://www.termitesurvey.com/distribution.shtml
> 
> ...


I still hope and pray that my location is represented by the white dot.

Darn east coast invaders.


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## A W Smith (Oct 14, 2007)

*Get rid of the water infiltration and terminix will handle the rest*

As far as whats eating it. Who cares? your job is to prevent water infiltration. Let pest control handle the rest. Unless your thinking of branching out. Get rid of moisture and you have closed the termite cafeteria. But that sill detail. (or lack of) is what bothers me. Who the hell picture frames exterior casing without an extended sill as a drip? That window needs surgery or the problem will repeat itself. The sill needs to be extracted and replaced with a wider one that slopes and projects beyond the new apron you will be putting on in place of that lower trim. Is the whole house like that? if it is. there's problems probably at every window. Only reason they noticed it there was because a door just happened to be under it. And that EIFS don't look too snappy either.


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