Mulch = Termites? Now what?

2BMrsYoung

GM!

 

I took the advice of those who suggested that we remove the pebbles/rocks from our front lawn.  The plants that were there didn't seem to grow right with the rocks, and we are looking to switch some things up in the front yard.  I was thinking that we could replace with mulch, but I was reading that this may cause termites!  Ummm...I know I don't want to experience that! 

 

What are some other alternatives?  Any suggestions?

 

Here are some pics of our front lawn (we are in the process of ripping out the bushes that were there also)

sarahmf13

I was worried about that too, but when I asked a professional landscaper about that she told me not to worry because we don't have termite issues in this area (Minnesota).  She said that is more of an issue they have in places it stays warmer and they wouldn't survive the winters here.  I would think since you're in MI that would possibly apply to you as well, but you may want to just ask someone at a garden center in your area.

kastle

My family has used mulch for as long as I can remember (in FL no less) and never had termites because of mulch.

If you're really concerned, just make sure the mulch is 3-6 in away from your foundation.

FoxinFiji

Where were you reading this?  Does your area have termite problems? 

Termites would never be able to live in your mulch because the ground freezes.  Every gardener I know uses mulch and doesn't have a problem with this even in warmer climates. 

On a side note the word "mulch" doesn't only apply to wood chips there are lots of other kinds of mulch including cocoa bean husks, leaf mold, and straw. 

dirtyred

We had termites in our mulch.  As pp said, we just pulled it back about 6 inches from the house and put a layer of sand there (termites can' build tunnels in sand).  No termites in the house!

~NB~

Termites can be found in mulch, but their survival is poor. The ability of termites to survive the chipping process to create mulch is not good; additionally, once separated from the colony, their ability to survive further decreases. Finally, even when termites are found in mulch, mulch-fed termites suffer significantly lower survivorship (Long et al. 2001).

In the field, termites were detected with equal frequency beneath mulches of wood, bark, gravel, and bare, uncovered soil. Sustained activity over time was significantly higher beneath gravel mulch (Lewis, D. 2001).

Catlawdy_____

We had mulch in the beds at the foundation in our old house and when we redo them here, we'll have mulch again.  You can get cedar, which repels bugs.  Our bug guy was also ok with us using cypress mulch, but still wanted us to keep it a little away from the foundation.

~NB~

Catlawdy_____:

  Our bug guy was also ok with us using cypress mulch, but still wanted us to keep it a little away from the foundation.

Please don't ever buy Cypress mulch:

http://www.sierraclub.org/getprepared/downloads/cypress.pdf

 

 

TheCrazy8

FoxinFiji:

Where were you reading this?  Does your area have termite problems? 

Termites would never be able to live in your mulch because the ground freezes.  Every gardener I know uses mulch and doesn't have a problem with this even in warmer climates. 

On a side note the word "mulch" doesn't only apply to wood chips there are lots of other kinds of mulch including cocoa bean husks, leaf mold, and straw. 

If you have dogs, be careful with cocoa mulch. It is toxic to dogs.