Mulch Purchases Should be Safe From Formosan

How concerned should I be about buying mulch this season?  I've heard mulch from the gulf coast may contain termites?

A number of articles have warned of possible movement of Formosan termites since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  This species of termites can eat 1,000 pounds of wood or wood products per year, compared to our native termites who can consume approximately seven pounds of wood in the same period.  Formosan termites are feared for a number of reasons.  Researchers at the University of Hawaii found these Formosan termites could completely consume an entire home in a period of two years

Formosan subterranean termites have been found in Hawaii, coastal regions of Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, southern California, Tennessee, and Georgia. 

Most of the mulch in the Louisiana and Mississippi region is quarantined and will remain in the area.  Other mulch for sale in our region will be either fumigated or heat-treated to destroy Formosan termites.  Your mulch purchases should be safe from Formosan termites. 

However, mulch can contain other wood-destroying organisms and insects.  The presence of decaying, moist mulch around your home's foundation is always attractive as harborage to a host of pests.  If you do use mulch, remember to rake the material 12 to 18 inches from your home's foundation.  Your pest management professional will also treat your mulch and the perimeter of your home to ensure these pests remain outside.

A friend from North Carolina mentioned she had to change from a wood-burning fireplace to gas logs to prevent termites.  Why was that?

The problem was not related to the fireplace itself, but with the exterior and interior storage of wood logs used as fuel within the fireplace.  Wood piles are normally stored near the home to make it convenient to bring the wood inside for use in the fireplace.  Some wood is even stored inside the home, near the fireplace hearth.  The wood piles are attractive to a number of wood destroying insects including beetles and especially termites.  You'll remember the helpful role of termites is to consume fallen trees and dead wood and turn it into compost or humus that can be reused in the forest.  Termites naturally occur in the soil and take their role of removing or eating fallen trees (dead wood and cellulose material) very seriously.  In forests and natural settings we appreciate the work of termites to clean the forest floor.  However, near or in our homes, termites are particularly unwanted.  Termites, unfortunately, can't distinguish between the wood used in our home's construction or the wood pile we have neatly stacked by the door, from a fallen diseased tree in the forest.  I suspect your friend switched to gas logs for her fireplace to eliminate the risk of termites in her stored wood from moving to her home.  Another point that owners of brand new homes should also consider, because termites are only seeking wood material, they don't distinguish from new wood in a new home from older wood in an older home.  All are attractive food sources.  For this reason, all homes and buildings require, at a minimum, an annual inspection for the presence of wood-destroying organisms.

Lee A. Tubbs, Owner

EnviroGuard Pest Control

Daisy Pest Control in Georgia