Oil on framing
tjones1014
| Posted in General Questions on
We had a few giant colonies of ants take over our gutted home these past few days. We used a spray on them, and while it killed the ants on contact, it left the wood framing oily. Any concerns with closing up the walls if there is oil on the framing? Any tips for getting the oil out of the wood?
Here are the ingredients in case it’s helpful:
GeraniolÂ
Lemongrass oil
White mineral oil
Isopropyl myristate
Ethyl lactate
Carbon dioxide
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Replies
It's probably not really an issue once it's dried out. I would make sure everything is completely dried out though.
If you're worried, you could paint all the problem areas with a few coats of BIN primer to encapsulate things. BIN is pretty good at blocking and sealing things -- some of the common uses for BIN are to block tobacco smoke smell and cat urine smell when doing renovations.
Bill
Would you recommend testing with a moisture meter to determine if it is ok to close up?
Would sanding the surface help?
I'm not worried about the smell or anything like that, mainly just damaging the wood or causing mold
The moisture meter won't detect oil, but if you've also had rain on the framing getting it wet it will detect that.
I doubt it would damage the wood. Mold is unlikely too, as long as everything is dry.
Note that ants usually come in when there is moisture. They need the moisture, and don't like dry assemblies.
Bill
My typical course of action repairing insect damage, aside from replacing compromised components, is to spray framing with some sort of insecticide. Given large scale infiltration, I would not close your walls without having preventative measures in place as you may not have killed or removed all of the ants. Leave the insecticide be.
Disclaimer: I have not looked up the function of all of those ingredients, but from what I can see, most of those products are not really insecticides. More like repellants. None will likely damage the wood in any way and the residue may provide some intermediate term repellant effect. Any type of oil saturation typically wouldn't have much effect on the wood itself, but more noxious oils would be a concern for long-term offgassing into the breathing space. If you are comfortable with these lower toxicity products, this would be less of a concern.
I'd be more concerned about where the ants came from and why? Big swarms generally means that there is either a colony nearby (like, inside the house), or a significant food source. If you are in an area where the weather is just starting to warm up, Spring ant swarms can be expected but again, they won't be inside unless there's a good reason for them to be. It would be good to figure this out, because your treatment won't last long and longer term protection will probably require locating and removing the food source/colony. Also note that ants and other critters generally like damp areas to nest in. This can be an indication of moisture problems somewhere else nearby.
You should also try to identify the type of ants. Each species has its own favorite conditions and food sources. Carpenter ants are always a concern because they will destroy wood to expand nesting sites and can cause significant damage over time. Knowing the type of ant will help to plan for the best long-term control strategy. You can do a pretty good job by looking at one with a magnifying glass and checking online sources. Otherwise, most local pest control companies can recognize the most common local varieties by sight.