Replies

1. Expert Member
   MALCOLM TAYLOR | Jul 27, 2022 03:22pm | #1

   pico_project,

   Good question. I don't seem to be able to find out how big the holes are. The perforated flashing I use as bug-screen has 1/8" holes. They seem to exclude everything but sugar ants and lady bugs - insects that are small enough that I think would get into a building through other paths anyway. You might want to use that as a standard, and provide screens on products with bigger openings.

1. 
   pico_project | Jul 28, 2022 12:25pm | #4

   The customer service rep said 0.19" for the hole size.

2. 
   user-5946022 | Jul 28, 2022 11:17am | #2

   YES! It is worth is! DO IT! Timely post. See below...

   I write this sitting at a desk from which day before yesterday I watched a wasp spend almost 20 minutes trying to get its body through one of the Hardi soffit holes in my soffit. I initially thought - no way is that wasp going to fit through there. I glanced up every few minutes to see the creature still trying. Imagine my shock when almost 20 minutes into the effort I glanced up to see the body of the wasp more than halfway up into one of the vent holes, and then whoosh - all the way up in there.

   I have spent the last 48 hours contemplating if/how to address this. There are a few mud dauber nests in my attic, but I thought those were left over from during construction before the soffit got installed and I missed them when I tried to knock them all off before insulation install. Now I'm not so sure, and removing them now would disturb insulation that is several inches over the top of the joists. Addressing the holes in the soffit is the real issue.
   There is no aesthetically acceptable way to do it from below. Due to the design of my house significant portions of the upper side of the soffit are inaccessible from attic spaces. The balance offers very little access from the attic due to the combination of a low slope roof, large overhangs and insulation baffles. The only way to access the topside is to have the hardi soffit removed, which will undoubtedly bust it up, and then replaced with hardi soffit that is screened and repaint. I'm guessing this is at least a $5k effort with labor costs in my area and some trim that would also need to be removed to remove the hardi soffit. Currently hoping I can wait it out until the next downturn in construction when labor and material are easier to come by.

   INSTALL SCREENS ON THE UPPER SIDE!!! I would think this can be relatively simple - my thought has been that if I had it done, I would cut heavy duty fiberglass screen into strips of the proper width. I would then be sure to be around during the entire installation, as I would not trust any crew to take the care needed for this task. I've thought of two methods. Either have the crews install the heavy duty screen strips to the underside of the framing, or I would install the screen to the backside of each board after it was cut to fit, taped on each side to close the gaps. Method 2 would increase my labor costs as usually when they finish cutting and dry fit it, they immediately install it while they have it up there confirmed to fit. However, I think with method 1, there is too much opportunity for the screen to get damaged during the soffit install, and if it is not installed VERY tight, there will be gaps between the soffit and the screen, defeating the purpose.

   My current thought is to tape the screen to the upper side of the Hardi soffit. This will work great on the inward portion where there is plenty of space, but may be tricky on the outward portion, where there is only 1" between the soffit vent holes and the outer edge. I would have to experiment, but my current thought was to have the screen go 3/8" past the vent holes on the outer edge, so a 1" wide strip of tape is 3/8" on the screen and 5/8" directly on the Hardi panel. I was thinking of using Zip tape, but would need to research more.

   TLDR: INSTALL A HEAVY DUTY SCREEN ON THE TOP SIDE OF YOUR HARDI VENT BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE HARDI VENT!

1. 
   pico_project | Jul 28, 2022 11:48am | #3

   Thank you for the info. I guess my question is, would a wasp bother building a nest in an area that is so hard to get in/out of? I don't mind a few bugs in the attic, I just don't want a bunch of nests, etc...

3. 
   johngfc | Jul 28, 2022 11:22pm | #5

   We have lots of wasps here (several species), and yes, I think they'd be happy to bother. Additionally, current recommendations (requirements in some areas) for fire prevention is a maximum 1/8" (0.125") mesh on ventilation openings.