If you have wood or vinyl siding, you likely love the curb appeal, welcoming appearance, and other unique benefits of these exterior materials.
However, while your intention may be to welcome friends, family, and guests with an appealing exterior, some “unwelcome guests” also find these materials inviting—namely rodents, insects, birds, and other pesky critters.
Discover why each type of pest loves wood and vinyl siding—and learn how you can deter them from your home (for good!) with James Hardie fiber cement siding.
Indianapolis Pests that Cause Siding Damage
While this list isn’t exhaustive, these are a few of the common types of pests you’ll find wreaking havoc on your siding in Indianapolis:
- Carpenter ants and bees—These pesky ants and bees chew through soft, pliable wood, like wood siding, to create nests.
- Powderpost beetles—These beetles tunnel into your siding, leaving larvae to feast on the wood until they reach their full maturity and burrow out.
- Birds—Birds peck at siding to eat the tasty beetles, ants, and termites, and their acidic droppings can damage siding, roofing, or insulation.
- Hornets and wasps—Wasps and hornets love to make their nests underneath your soffit or fascia, and once they are comfortable, they can be hard to get rid of.
- Squirrels and rodents—Squirrels and other rodents, like mice or rats, love to gnaw at the edges of wood or vinyl siding if the boards are easily accessible from the ground.
- Woodpeckers—Woodpeckers drum on vinyl or wood siding, creating cracks, crevices, and holes when they’re looking for food, mating, or simply bored.
- Termites—Termites eat wood, so once they’re burrowed in your wood siding, they can quickly cause lots of damage.
Siding Types Prone to Pest Damage
Wood and vinyl siding boards are both popular options for Indianapolis homeowners, but unfortunately, both these materials tend to attract pests.
Wood Siding
Wood is a natural material, so, as you’d expect, it’s used as food or shelter for many insects and animals. It’s a significant food source for some pests, like beetles and termites, and a nesting place for others, like carpenter ants and bees. Plus, woodpeckers and other birds damage wood siding while fishing out these pests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and squirrels or rodents may nibble on the end of the boards, creating unsightly, jagged edges.
Despite your best attempts to keep your wood siding well-maintained, dry, and away from the soil, plants, and other places where pests like to hide, your wood siding will still inevitably attract birds, insects, or rodents at some point or another.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl boards aren’t as prone to pest damage as wood siding, but they still provide a haven for woodpeckers, rodents, and other insects.
Vinyl siding must be installed with small gaps that allow the boards to expand and contract so they don’t warp or buckle. Unfortunately, these tiny crevices provide the perfect place for bees, wasps, and hornets to create nests, and they allow a space for beetles, termites, and ants to wiggle through and eat or nest in your wooden support beams.
Why Is James Hardie Siding the Perfect Pest-Resistant Solution?
Hardie fiber cement siding is the ideal pest-resistant alternative to wood, vinyl, and other siding options that appeal to pests. These are just a few reasons homeowners can rely on fiber cement siding to keep birds, insects, and rodents away.
Fiber cement siding is inedible.
Hardie siding is made from a durable blend of cement, sand, water, and cellulose fibers. Unlike wood, which creates an appealing snack for beetles and termites, and, therefore, a food source for woodpeckers and birds, fiber cement siding can’t be digested, so it keeps pests away.
Fiber cement siding can’t be broken down.
Hardie siding is sturdy and engineered to withstand damage from rain, snow, and fire—so it can certainly stand up to damage from pests! Unlike wood, which pests can drill or burrow into, or vinyl, which they can chip and break, fiber cement siding will retain its protective barrier, so you don’t have to worry about your home’s structural integrity being compromised.
Fiber cement siding is impermeable.
Hardie siding is Engineered for Climate, meaning it’s built for whatever your climate throws its way—icy, cold winters or hot, humid summers. Since fiber cement siding is built for the weather and doesn’t expand or contract, you won’t have to worry about wasps, beetles, rodents, or other pests squeezing behind your siding to create nests.
Get Rid of Pests for Good with Hardie Siding Installation from JD Hostetter & Associates
If your wood siding already has holes from where beetles, ants, or bees have burrowed in, or your vinyl boards have been gnawed on by squirrels or pecked on by woodpeckers—you’re probably not thrilled with the look of your home’s exterior.
Our experienced team at JD Hostetter & Associates would love to help restore your Indianapolis home to its original, beautiful state and deter pests for good with James Hardie fiber cement siding. As an Elite Tier Contractor within the James Hardie ALLIANCE, we follow the manufacturing process and installation rules exactly to standard, so we can ensure your warranty is honored!
Get a free estimate for your siding replacement, and after your installation, you’ll never have to worry about unwelcome bugs or critters prowling around your property again!
