This Common Mulch Mistake Can Attract Termites Fast
Most homes have landscaping that runs around the foundation and most of that landscaping uses mulch. While it may certainly look great, applying mulch around the foundation of your home runs the risk of attracting a homeowner's worst nightmare, termites. Most experts agree that putting mulch right up against your home carries a termite risk, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave the landscaping around your foundation mulch free.
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Why Mulch Can Attract Termites
Termites love moist environments, wood-based material, and dark spaces where they can hide. Mulch checks all of those boxes. While mulching around your home isn’t bad, mulching right up against the foundation is the issue. This mixture of wood chips and leaves traps moisture against the foundation, simultaneously creating an ideal habitat for termites while making it difficult for inspectors to spot termite activity.
How to Mulch Safely Around Your Home
You don’t need to skip the mulch entirely. Fortunately, there is a safe way to mulch around your home without attracting termites:
Leave a Gap
Keep mulch at least 6 inches away from the foundation . This gap will keep moisture from collecting around your foundation, while also allowing termite inspectors access so they can spot any potential pest activity.
Keep Mulch Shallow
Avoid creating a thick layer of mulch against the foundation. Instead, limit the mulch depth in these landscaped areas to 2 to 3 inches. Anything deeper harbors moisture that can attract and hide pests like termites.
Use Pest Resistant Mulch
Some mulch is less attractive to termites than other types of mulch. Use pine bark, cypress mulch, or cedar mulch. Termites don’t like the scent of cedar or cypress. Pine bark mulch dries more quickly than other types of mulch, and thus doesn’t have the moisture content these pests like.
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Maintain good drainage
If the mulch is constantly wet, it will be more prone to attractive termites. Check the drainage around your foundation and make sure water is flowing away from your home when it rains. If it’s not, you may need to grade the soil around your house or fix any issues with your downspouts and gutters.
Monitor The Area
Remember that mulching close to your foundation does increase the chances for termites. As such, you need to be vigilant. Walk around your house periodically and check for any termite activity, especially in the spring when termites are looking for places to nest. Specifically, you want to look for mud tubes around the foundation, any soft or damaged wood, and swarms of winged insects. Termites are small winged insects that measure about a 1/4 inch long. They can be cream colored, dark brown or black, depending on the species.
The Bottom Line
Mulch is an essential part of landscaping. It keeps the soil around your plants roots moist, adds nutrients as it breaks down, and generally makes your landscaping clean and attractive. While mulch creates an ideal environment for termites, that doesn't mean you have to abandon it around your foundation. By keeping a buffer and using mulch products that are less appealing to termites, and staying vigilant for pest activity. you can safely mulch around your home.