Unbelievable! I would never have thought about this. Thanks so much for the post. Do you think this will affect mostly bagged mulch? Do you think mulch purchased in bulk will be ok?

How do they survive and propagate? I'd think you'd have to get a queen for them to survive. But then I really don't know.

Thanks for the information. We are about to start landscaping our new house and this couldn't be more timely.

Another reason we need a colder winter. These pest are only marginally able to survive here so probably won't become a major problem in Tennessee. They are usually found in warmer areas than most of Tennessee. Course, that doesn't mean they can't do some real damage before getting zapped by next winter.

Does bagged mulch have where it came from on it?

According to Snopes, this is not true. It's an urban legend.

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Snopes article

Becky's right, it's a hoax.

Don't loose any sleep about this potential problem (at least here), but it's not just a hoax. There are possible valid reasons for a LITTLE concern. If you really check into it, you'll find that there are possibilities of this happening. It may be unlikely, and there are safeguards, but that doesn't mean that the people concerned are crazy either.

One thing to consider about this whole issue (again, at least here in TN) is that the possiblility of local termites feasting on your wood mulch and causing you problems later on is much higher than the chances of having problems from alien termite species.

It's not a hoax in the sense that Formosan Termites have been introduced to the NO area.

The message all over the internet about infested mulch traveling all over the country to big box stores, though, is not based in truth.

Here's an excerpt of a press release just issued by an industry group in response to the rumors:

..."As for the possible infestation of mulch with Formosan Subterranean Termites, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has a quarantine in 12 infested parishes (counties). No wood or cellulose materials maybe moved out of the quarantine areas without approval from state inspectors, including all materials from Katrina clean-up efforts.

Louisiana State University termite expert Dr. Dennis Ring explained that this termite was introduced into this country after World War II; it has been around for more than 50 years. The Formosan Subterranean Termite prefers a moist environment at approximately 57°F (14°C). According to experts, the practical survivability of a soft-bodied insect withstanding the violent environment inside the mulch grinding process or the high temperatures (130°F  160°F) of mulch packages and pallet stacks is extremely unlikely.

Dr. William Fonteno (of North Carolina State University and program director for the Mulch & Soil Council Product Certification Program) inspected over 500 bags of mulch and soil products taken from retail stores in 2005. No products inspected from anywhere in the country had any live termite presenceÂnot a single bag."

If anyone wants more info on the subject, go to http://www.sna.org/ (Southern Nursery Assn. website) for the straight poop.

Marty

A local TV talk show had this as one of the topics last week. According to the experts, this is a myth. However, they did say that any wood mulch should not be used right up against your house because of possible termite infestation - and not because of Katrina, but just because termites like to munch on mulch. Mulch should stop about 6 inches away from the foundation.