The maintenance of the garden plot, where you grow fruit, berries and vegetables, must include some activities to protect plants from bad weather conditions and to provide special nutrition for them.
Moreover, if the garden is not very big, and it is located far from the busy city, it is better to use hand-made mulch. Mulch is a “material” simply made of weed, leaves, straw, manure or even the processed products.
All this stuff should have lots of nutrients for soil. Mulching is the best way to keep plants healthy and to have a rich harvest.
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- Does Wood Mulch Attract Termites?
- How to Act If You Have Discovered These Pests in Mulch in Your Garden?
- Termites’ Extermination in Mulch – Where to Start?
- Methods of Termites’ Extermination
Flood the soil Use nematodes Use insecticides and foams Install baits or traps with boric acid Dig deeply- The Best Way to Struggle with Pests Is Not to Have Them
- Useful articles
- Termites’ Invasion Can Be Suppressed
Besides, in addition to this important function of mulch there is another one: it can be used as a replacement for the lawn grass. In this role it will be a material to stop weed’s growth, to retain moisture in soil and to regulate ground’s temperature.
Does Wood Mulch Attract Termites?
Mulch seems to be the irreplaceable element in the garden.
Nevertheless, there are always some pros and cons. Helping to maintain the garden area, it can become attractive for termites.
Termites are eusocial insects that form colonies. These pests eat cellulose and wood, having an invisible existence.
It makes them “silent killers”: they appear in the area where wood is in contact with soil and eat everything wooden they can find.
Moreover, if the territory moisturized well it looks doubly attractive for them. This can cause irreparable and even tragic consequences for those who have no idea how to get rid of them.How to fight termites in cedar, redwood or bark mulch?
How to Act If You Have Discovered These Pests in Mulch in Your Garden?
To discover termites is not as easy as a pie: these insects live “under cover” and are very mobile as they can build tunnels in wood from one place to another (this increase the area infected with termites and make it difficult to exterminate the pests). However, if you managed to discover the problem, it is time to act.
There are two ways to solve the problem – to call the professional or to become the expert of termite’s extermination. They say the second variant is for those who do not look for easy ways. Nevertheless, it is not a problem if you know what to do.
Warning! If you faced this trouble inside the house, you have to act fast or call the specialist who will kill insects quickly, without prolonging the process and biding the time when the real damage will be revealed.If the problem is outside the house, there is a big chance to get rid of “uninvited quests”. The first thing to do is to destroy all stumps and rotten wood that is possible to find in the yard. They are the most attractive food for termites.
In the list of unwelcome things here is wooden mulch. Being the real feast for insects it can be taken as far as possible from the building in order to prevent pests’ spread there.
Learn more about drywood termites: signs of their activity; best methods of treatment: spot treatment and DIY methods; how to get rid of them in furniture?
Termites’ Extermination in Mulch – Where to Start?
Home-made mulch can be made of anything; however, it is more common to have mulch from cellulose, for example, from tree barks and wood chips. That is why it is a potentially dangerous area as it attracts insects.
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).
Being in a contact with soil, this material, placed near a termites’ colony, will cause insects’ extermination. Another positive effect of this method is a fact that it is not dangerous for nature.
Recommendation: the right concentration of this liquid will be effective in the battle with pests, but harmless for soil.Another working method without considerable harm is changing the temperature of the infected surface. Using the liquid nitrogen (nitrogen in a liquid state with an extremely low temperature) you can make the temperature lower, and making the fire on the area of termites’ colony will make the temperature rise.
This drastic change of thermal conditions will become murderous for insects in mulch. These two ways will help in the struggle with termites when they become “uninvited quests” in your garden plot.
Learn more about subterranean termites: signs of their activity; best methods of treatment and DIY methods. Eastern subterranean termites and their tunnels and tubes with photo.
Methods of Termites’ Extermination
If you are looking for other organic and effective methods of killing the insects “settled” in your yard, pay attention to this list.
These ways of cleaning the garden from pests can be useful as they are less harmful comparing with poisonous methods and more available for people who get used to solve problems by themselves, using improved means.
Flood the soil
You can get rid of insects, creating an inundation in the region infected with pests. Termites require moist conditions but they are not used to live in water, that’s why this variant can be effective. The advantage of this method is the availability of tool – every person has a water hose in the garden plot.
Use nematodes
The use of nematodes (small warms that are natural parasites to garden pests) is an effective way to solve the problem. These warms regulate bacterial composition by eating up to 5000 bacteria every minute.
Use insecticides and foams
Another good variant is to use professional remedies for pests’ extermination. Such means of “struggle” with termites are proven, effective and working.
It can be the best method of all as it does not need big expenses, lots of time spent and many people involved.Here you can learn more information about effective termite control remedies: Bora-Care, Boric acid, Borate, Fipronil, Chlorpyrifos, Chlordane, Borax, Timbor, Termidor, Terminator, Phantom, Lorsban and Biflex.
Install baits or traps with boric acid
Baits with boric acid attract termites and slowly kill the entire colony through poisoning.
Here you can learn more information about termite bait systems: Advance, Green, CSIRO, Nemesis, Exterra, Firstline, Terminate. Also find out how to make baits by yourself and how to refill them?
Dig deeply
If you dig soil deeply, you can destroy colonies of pests. However, destroying is not killing. That is why this method can help you to prolong the time while you are looking for the effective remedy.
More information about How to Fight Termites in Hardwood Mulch?
The Best Way to Struggle with Pests Is Not to Have Them
It is easy and less problematic to avoid termites than to look for the good method to kill them. That is why in order not to have problems with insects in your garden follow these pieces of advice:
- Use coconut, sand, decorative stone or rubber mulch instead of wooden one: it does not have cellulose so it will not attract insects in your garden.
- If you plan to make mulch, choose its location in the area far from your house. So, even in case you have insects, they will not move to your building in search of “food”.
- If you are choosing a house to buy or to build, give preference to a building with basement. Advice: stony basement will protect your house from “uninvited guests” which like wood.
Mulch does not cause insects’ invasion. It has a decorative and weed control purpose, so it can be indispensable in the garden plot.
However, be careful: the mulch made of wooden chips can attract termites as they like cellulose. That’s why before organizing the area around your building it is worth thinking about “tools” you use.In case the area was infected by termites, remember: it is remediable. You can always use advice given here or ask for professional help.
Useful articles
If you interested in more information of termites we recommend you to read the following articles:
- All types of termites. Are they harmful to humans? Can they bite you? And what is the difference between drywood and subterranean ones?
- What does swarmers of different species look like: drywood, subterranean, formosan?
- Signs of infestation outside and in the house: in walls or furniture.
- What does termite holes look like? What is droppings and is it toxic to humans? Do termites make noises?
- Posible termite damage, how does it look like? Examples of damage in walls and wood floors.
- All about flying termites: how do they look like, swarming season and what to do if there are swarmers in your house?
- How do they do nests and mounds? How to find it in your garden or inside the house?
- Termite life cycle – from egg to larvae. And social hierarchy: workers, soldiers, queen.
- Did you know that termites can infest living trees, for example a palm or a pine tree. They also like to live in stumps.
- You can prevent the infestation by using barriers, such as: HomeGuard, Physical systems, Safeguard, Stainless steel mesh, Kordon.
Termites’ Invasion Can Be Suppressed
Termite foraging can be terrible as these insects can make tunnels in search of cellulose and eat everything from wood they can find.
But it does not mean that the use of mulch in your yard or garden is forbidden.
If you undertake measures to prevent insects’ invasion and are aware of methods to get rid of them, termites’ existence cannot stop you from getting your dream – a wonderful decorated yard or a marvelous garden full of different trees and plants.
