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So, I bought a home late last year and intend to do some cleanup of the landscaping beds and I've thought about using some low maintenance plants and mulch in the beds to keep the weeds out and to keep it low maintenance. These beds come right up against the house, which is brick veneer with a crawl space foundation.
One thing that I've read repeatedly in researching this is that homeowners are discouraged from putting mulch right up against their house, as some of the pest/termite experts say that mulch encourages moisture, which termites need to survive. At the same time, I drive around my neighborhood and around neighborhoods all over my city and I see landscaping beds with mulch that touches the exterior of the house. So, either all of these homeowners think that mulch isn't a big attractant at all of termites or they just make a decision to roll the dice and accept whatever happens.
So, will putting mulch in a landscaping bed that touches the side of crawlspace foundation attract termites? Should I absolutely avoid allowing mulch to touch the side of the house/foundation and do a small rock barrier around the edge of the house instead? I prefer the look of mulch to rocks but I don't want to be foolish and invite termites in.
If we put mulch up against the house foundation here we have to write it up on the termite report as conducive conditions for termites. I don't suggest it although there are mulches out there that are not wood based. You can get colored mulch made from recycled tires these days. Moisture is not the what the mortgage companies are worried about, it's the wood laid on the ground that draws the termites to the house.
If we put mulch up against the house foundation here we have to write it up on the termite report as conducive conditions for termites. I don't suggest it although there are mulches out there that are not wood based. You can get colored mulch made from recycled tires these days. Moisture is not the what the mortgage companies are worried about, it's the wood laid on the ground that draws the termites to the house.
A lot of what I have read online is that it is not the wood itself in the mulch that attracts termites but rather than the moisture trapped in the mulch that attracts the termites. Termites apparently need two things to survive: a moist environment and the wood that they feed on. The mulch outside would apparently provide the moisture part but the fear is that the wood on the exterior & interior of the house would become the food part.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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You can use recycled tire (rubber) mulch, that won't attract them. Here we don't have termites, but wood mulch can attract carpenter ants. We keep it away from the house.
Location matters. The further South you go, the more you don't want to have mulch against/around your foundation. Up North, the freezing winter cold helps to minimize the termite threat, but not eliminate it.
Depending on the type you use, yes it can. Also a home caught on fire here in my town from mulch a few weeks back. Not sure what type they used though.
We are in the Deep South, and use wood mulch. Mulch or no mulch, we have to be diligent in watching for termites. Mulch won’t CAUSE termites. At worst it might keep you from noticing them right away.
Yes it does. I've found termites in my mulch beds near the house.
I don't view it as a negative because if I know where the termites are feeding, I can treat the area with the appropriate chemicals to eliminate the entire colony. (which I've done with rather good results)
Now if I knew they were feeding in my mulch beds and did nothing...then that's a problem.
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