Termites In Mulch Around House
If your yard tends to stay wet limit the mulch layer to 2 inches or less and periodically rake the mulch so it can dry out and aerate.
Termites in mulch around house. Your real concern should be what happens once you place the mulch around your home. There is evidence to support the link between termites and mulch as it pertains to attraction. If you re planting the proper distance from your structure you shouldn t need mulch closer than that do. The issue is not termites being drawn to a property by the promise of a wood mulch that they can eat but rather termites that are already present in the soil exploiting the mulch as a hiding place using it as a launching pad to invade your house termites like moisture and all mulches provide that to some degree.
This is because mulch used for landscaping keeps the environment moist. The main reason for placing mulch is its ability to hold in moisture and insulate against colder temperatures. Does this mean as some pest control advertisements claim that mulch attracts termites to your home or that the mulch somehow causes termites. The first variant and probably the best way to get rid of termites in mulch is to impregnate its components with a borate salt an important boron component a salt of boric acid and a mineral.
Avoid wetting the bare strip around your house to keep that soil dry and unattractive to termites. When setting sprinklers make sure they don t spray the wall of your house. Don t water the house. Instead leaving an 8 12 inch barrier out from your siding before you start using mulch.
Why termites like mulch. While mulch around the foundation of your home may look appealing giving it a well groomed appearance it can cause some unexpected problems if not done with the proper care. The subterranean termites found in scattered localized areas around iowa are routinely found in wood chip mulch and other wood products on or in the soil lumber scraps boards firewood pallets etc. A 12 inch gap of bare ground between the house s foundation and the mulch reduces the risk of termites reaching the house advises today s homeowner.
While subterranean termites enter your home from the soil formosan subterranean termites prefer to sneak in using damp wood.