When you put down wood mulch, it’s not like a call goes out for a convention of termites and other insects in your yard. Instead, the insects that are already in your soil (and there are plenty of them, including termites!) wander into the mulch in your planting beds, like it, and decide to stay.
Those centipedes, millipedes and earwigs in your mulch are there because of the moisture. You’ll see even more insects during wet seasons, particularly if your mulch doesn’t dry out easily.
Most of these insects aren’t anything to worry about. However, termites are another matter, since they may use the favorable environment in the mulch to gain access to your home.
Termites and Mulch
Most pest control companies advise against piling mulch against the side of your house, since it can increase the chance of termites entering your home.
This is good advice, since termites are subterranean and have to keep themselves moist, and mulch provides good cover for their underground tunneling activities.
However, ANY mulch can provide this cover, whether it’s organic wood or bark, inorganic gravel, or even ground rubber.
Termites are not drawn to the wood itself but to the cool, moist protection it provides. They can be found in similar numbers beneath bark, wood, gravel and rubber mulch, though fresh wood chips may have the added attraction of providing a food source.
As with other insects, the mulch doesn’t cause termites to multiply, it just offers a conducive environment for the ones that are already in the area. You don’t need to avoid mulch in your yard, just apply it carefully and keep an eye out for invading insects in your home.
Tips for Applying Mulch to Protect Your Home
Follow these tips to protect your house from tunneling termites and other insects:
- Provide a Buffer Zone: No matter what kind of mulch you’re applying, leave a strip of bare dirt a foot or more wide between the mulch and your house foundation to help deter tunneling termites.
Also, make sure to leave 6 inches of foundation showing between the ground and your home’s woodwork or siding. This is standard in most building codes to keep moisture from seeping into the wood, and it’ll deter insects and rodents as well.
- Don’t Water the House: 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.
- Keep Mulch Dry: 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.
- Stay Vigilant: Keep an eye on your home’s foundation (both inside and out) for signs of termites, especially aboveground tunneling structures. Also, watch for termite activity and damage inside your home, and address any problems immediately to limit the damage.
I have wood chip mulch all around my home and this year every time it rains I am seeing many hard skin centerpeds climb from the mulch and go all over the outer walls of my home and lanai. When I go to kill them they roll up like a tight ring. Any idea what they might me and how would you recommend to treat the mulch?
Does the same hold true for ants? The builder of our new home spread chunks of decorative bark all around the perimeter of the structure. We have a terrible time controlling ants, even with constant vigilance and using Amdro. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.
will laying a layer of plastic do any good if laid out prior to placing mulch in landscape area
“…that mulch attracts termites is somewhat of a myth”. My house is only 12 years old. I used a very course mulch because I liked the way it looked and it lasts longer. I discovered a termite tunnel coming up from the baseboard on the other side of the exterior wall from the mulch and in another part of the house on an exterior wall with the mulch as well. I called to get a termite expert (38 years experience) who told me to come outside with him where he turned over an obviously undisturbed part of the mulch next to the house. He pointed to dozens of yellow termites in that few inches. I have never had any problem with the fine mulch, but I can tell you from experience that course mulch does attract termites, at least, for me.
I have a flower garden that goes around my house and so I just put down a bunch of mulch last weekend. However, I had no idea that by doing so that I may have increased the chances of my house getting termites. Now that I know this, though, I am going to go and make a buffer zone today. However, mulch tends to get moved around over time and so I might put up a mesh fence or something to help create that barrier.
glad to have found this site.. Is it australian? Living next to bush national park have cleared the garden beds when we moved in a year ago/. Have several bags of sawdust bagged up. Pest inspector said “No mulch” but in this climate (lower blue mountains) it seems essential. Can I take it if I have metre wide concrete path between the house and the mulched beds, I’ll be pretty safe? W have pest inspections once every 12 months should I be doing anything more frequently?
I live in a retirement village. I have common land from a boundary fence. I have had to plan Native shrubs – Council ruling. Now I would like to lay weed mat and put red wood chips on top – will this breed white termites.
Hello we are renting and I have put in garden right against the house with hay mulch. The house is low set brick. I thought if I didn’t cover the weep holes it’s alright. Can you please give me some information.
Thanks Karyn
Love your radio show (and Chelsea’s). Always feel lucky when I get in my car to go somewhere and you are on…circled a store three times once just to listen. THX
my manger put mulch around apts..we got too many brown recluses.
Since the neighbors piled three huge mounds of wood chips on their property we have been infested with what I think are wood lice. They are on my windowsills in abundance. They are microscopic and I’m guessing are wood lice. Any suggestions? I’ve been spraying eucalyptus oil and soapy water and it seems to work for awhile but then they’re back. I wondered if they spread the mounds out the problem will go away?