Mulch And Termites Australia

Termites in mulch piles are possible only if the pile is constantly kept very moist.

Mulch and termites australia. But mulch does not cause termites. This is because drywood termites feed on dry wood obviously. This is the most resistant to termites. Cedar mulch can also deter cockroaches odorous house ants and other insects.

Common mulch types in australia that are considered termite resistant are cypress heartwood. Termites are wood eating insects and as such mulch can attract them. This mulch also takes a long time to break down. Termites white ants are attracted to areas containing mulch.

Termites like mulch wood chips leaf debris etc because it gives them a much better way to travel it allows them to travel in a loose layer over the soil it allow them to travel without have to dig tunnel or work too hard. And termites don t typically thrive in mulch piles. Another mulch that has repellent affect on termites is the cyprus pine mulch and this takes a bit longer to break down again and it doesn t contain any nitrogen or nutrients at all. They tunnel through the earth to find woody food products for their food.

Termites typically pre exist deep underground in moist environments. The last of the pine mulch is the bark chips. The resins found in these heartwoods can be toxic to termites. This type or heartwood has a large amount of resin contained in the timber that is detrimental to termites.

Be sure your cypress mulch doesn t contain sapwood. This mulch also has termite repellants. Drywood termites are the most common termites to infest your home. And in queensland termites are a real problem and tea tree mulch is said to have a repellent affect on termites.

Using termite resistant mulch made from different wood and keeping mulch piles away from your house is one of the best ways to avoid infestations from termites in mulch. It creates a safe dark damp moist ready made highway in which they just love to exploit. The high humidity and rainfall literally compost any organic mulch used on the garden. Cedar mulch resin from cedar heartwood is toxic to termites.

However they re not impossible to get rid of. Mulch typically dries out enough that it is not a conducive environment for termites to build a nest. Although termites like feeding high cellulose organic matter wood based mulches aren t going to provide termites with a source for heavy feeding. Cypress mulch heartwood makes cypress a termite resistant mulch.