April 2006
Termites in mulch: Online rumor spreads concern
Facts on mulch and lawn care
Just as warmer weather entices you to start gardening comes a recent e-mail warning. According to the missive, mulch made from termite-infested trees felled in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans is on its way to a Home Depot or Lowe's near you. Buy it and the voracious Formosan subterranean termite, which can eat its way through beams and plywood nine times faster than other termites, could make your home its next meal.
Fortunately, the e-mail has proved false. After the hurricane, quarantines of 12 Louisiana parishes were issued for woody debris, which couldn't be moved from the ravaged areas without the submission of a treatment plan to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Bob Odom, Louisiana commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, had his department's invasive pest expert contact the stores mentioned in the e-mail and found no validity to the claims.
Still, what is the likelihood of a Formosan termite or any other termite species surviving the mulch-grinding process? It's highly unlikely that these soft-bodied insects could withstand the destructive environment during this process or the high temperatures (130° F to 160° F) of mulch packages and pallet stacks, according to entomologists. If a few termites did survive the process, they would die quickly because of the lack of the social system that is present in the colony system they maintain and that is so vital to termite survival, says Gary Bennett, director of the Center for Urban Pest Management at Purdue University.
TERMITE PREVENTION
The National Pest Management Association, a national trade association for the professional pest control industry, says one of the best defenses against termites is to keep all wood mulch away from a home's foundation. Here are some other tips to avoid attracting termites:
Avoid water buildup near your home's foundation. Most termites are drawn to moisture, so divert water away with properly functioning downspouts, gutters, and splash blocks.
Repair leaky roofs or windows right away. Termites can thrive in this moist environment.
Don't bury wood scraps or waster lumber in the yard, especially near the home. Remove old tree stumps and roots around and beneath the home.
Eliminate any wood contact with soil. Maintaining at least an 18-inch gap between the soil and wood portions of the home is ideal.
Reduce humidity in crawl spaces with proper ventilation.
Don't cover vents. Prevent shrubs, vines, and other vegetation from growing over and covering vents by trimming them regularly.
Routinely inspect the foundation of your home for signs of termite damage. These include swarming of winged forms in the fall and spring; evidence of mud burrowing in, over, and under wood structures; and damaged wood that's extremely thin and easy to puncture.
ALTERNATIVES TO WOOD MULCH
While rubber mulch doesn't sound very aesthetically appealing, it's inhospitable to insects. It can also eliminate the need for annual mulching, since rubber doesn't break down as wood does. Unlike wood mulch, rubber mulch is heavy enough to stay put, so you can use less of it. Rubber mulch needs to be only 1 1/2 inches deep, compared with 3 inches for wood mulch. But it's much more expensive than wood mulch.
Consumer Reports tested two rubber mulches, DuPont Garden Products, about $13.75 per cubic foot, and RubberStuff Landscape, about $15--compared with about $1.50 per cubic foot for wood mulch. Both controlled weeds as well as wood mulch, but the DuPont faded slightly in our weathering tests. Rubber mulch isn't suitable for playgrounds since it may contain small pieces of steel or nylon.
More information on our testing, plus photographs of the mulches, is available in our May 2006 report on Mulch (available to subscribers).
BEYOND MULCH: LAWN-CARE TIPS
While mulch can help keep weeds out of your garden beds, getting a lush, weed-free lawn requires slightly more work. Here are some simple tips from our May 2006 report, Your best lawn ever (available to subscribers).
Grow the right grass for your area. The right grass forms a dense turf that's better able to resist pest and weeds and requires less watering and fertilizing. Our online Complete Lawn & Yard Guide (available to subscribers) has an interactive grass guide and zone map to help you choose the best grass for your lawn.
Cut the right amount. Removing more than one-third of the grass blades' height at once can weaken your lawn. That may mean mowing northern lawns every five days in the spring and fall, and southern lawns just as often in the late spring when both types grow fastest. Our interactive grass guide and zone map gives the best heights for different types of grass.
Fertilize lawns at the right time of year. Poor timing with fertilizer can make any lawn more susceptible to disease instead of feeding and fortifying it. Fertilize northern lawns primarily in the fall and southern lawns primarily in the spring to sustain vigorous growth. The Facts on lawn fertilizing in our Complete Lawn & Yard Guide (available to subscribers) has information on specific types of fertilizer and how much fertilizer to apply.
Water early in the day. In the morning, there's less wind to blow water around, less sunlight to evaporate it, and more time for the lawn to dry out before nightfall. Watering late in the day encourages lawn pests, mold, and disease by not allowing warmer daytime temperatures to evaporate the moisture before sunset. Watering basics offers advice on how frequently to water and how much water your lawn needs.
Facts on mulch and lawn care
Just as warmer weather entices you to start gardening comes a recent e-mail warning. According to the missive, mulch made from termite-infested trees felled in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans is on its way to a Home Depot or Lowe's near you. Buy it and the voracious Formosan subterranean termite, which can eat its way through beams and plywood nine times faster than other termites, could make your home its next meal.
Fortunately, the e-mail has proved false. After the hurricane, quarantines of 12 Louisiana parishes were issued for woody debris, which couldn't be moved from the ravaged areas without the submission of a treatment plan to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Bob Odom, Louisiana commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, had his department's invasive pest expert contact the stores mentioned in the e-mail and found no validity to the claims.
Still, what is the likelihood of a Formosan termite or any other termite species surviving the mulch-grinding process? It's highly unlikely that these soft-bodied insects could withstand the destructive environment during this process or the high temperatures (130° F to 160° F) of mulch packages and pallet stacks, according to entomologists. If a few termites did survive the process, they would die quickly because of the lack of the social system that is present in the colony system they maintain and that is so vital to termite survival, says Gary Bennett, director of the Center for Urban Pest Management at Purdue University.
TERMITE PREVENTION
The National Pest Management Association, a national trade association for the professional pest control industry, says one of the best defenses against termites is to keep all wood mulch away from a home's foundation. Here are some other tips to avoid attracting termites:
Avoid water buildup near your home's foundation. Most termites are drawn to moisture, so divert water away with properly functioning downspouts, gutters, and splash blocks.
Repair leaky roofs or windows right away. Termites can thrive in this moist environment.
Don't bury wood scraps or waster lumber in the yard, especially near the home. Remove old tree stumps and roots around and beneath the home.
Eliminate any wood contact with soil. Maintaining at least an 18-inch gap between the soil and wood portions of the home is ideal.
Reduce humidity in crawl spaces with proper ventilation.
Don't cover vents. Prevent shrubs, vines, and other vegetation from growing over and covering vents by trimming them regularly.
Routinely inspect the foundation of your home for signs of termite damage. These include swarming of winged forms in the fall and spring; evidence of mud burrowing in, over, and under wood structures; and damaged wood that's extremely thin and easy to puncture.
ALTERNATIVES TO WOOD MULCH
While rubber mulch doesn't sound very aesthetically appealing, it's inhospitable to insects. It can also eliminate the need for annual mulching, since rubber doesn't break down as wood does. Unlike wood mulch, rubber mulch is heavy enough to stay put, so you can use less of it. Rubber mulch needs to be only 1 1/2 inches deep, compared with 3 inches for wood mulch. But it's much more expensive than wood mulch.
Consumer Reports tested two rubber mulches, DuPont Garden Products, about $13.75 per cubic foot, and RubberStuff Landscape, about $15--compared with about $1.50 per cubic foot for wood mulch. Both controlled weeds as well as wood mulch, but the DuPont faded slightly in our weathering tests. Rubber mulch isn't suitable for playgrounds since it may contain small pieces of steel or nylon.
More information on our testing, plus photographs of the mulches, is available in our May 2006 report on Mulch (available to subscribers).
BEYOND MULCH: LAWN-CARE TIPS
While mulch can help keep weeds out of your garden beds, getting a lush, weed-free lawn requires slightly more work. Here are some simple tips from our May 2006 report, Your best lawn ever (available to subscribers).
Grow the right grass for your area. The right grass forms a dense turf that's better able to resist pest and weeds and requires less watering and fertilizing. Our online Complete Lawn & Yard Guide (available to subscribers) has an interactive grass guide and zone map to help you choose the best grass for your lawn.
Cut the right amount. Removing more than one-third of the grass blades' height at once can weaken your lawn. That may mean mowing northern lawns every five days in the spring and fall, and southern lawns just as often in the late spring when both types grow fastest. Our interactive grass guide and zone map gives the best heights for different types of grass.
Fertilize lawns at the right time of year. Poor timing with fertilizer can make any lawn more susceptible to disease instead of feeding and fortifying it. Fertilize northern lawns primarily in the fall and southern lawns primarily in the spring to sustain vigorous growth. The Facts on lawn fertilizing in our Complete Lawn & Yard Guide (available to subscribers) has information on specific types of fertilizer and how much fertilizer to apply.
Water early in the day. In the morning, there's less wind to blow water around, less sunlight to evaporate it, and more time for the lawn to dry out before nightfall. Watering late in the day encourages lawn pests, mold, and disease by not allowing warmer daytime temperatures to evaporate the moisture before sunset. Watering basics offers advice on how frequently to water and how much water your lawn needs.
