What's the problem? What harm are they doing? They don't eat your veggies. I would just leave them be. If they were gonna eat your house, they would have by now. But my guess is the wood in your house and the soil under it is too dry for them to live. It's not like no termite has ever discovered your delicious house, it's just not an appropriate habitat for them. Out in your yard they are just another leaf-litter creature.
Then again, I'm on the west coast. Maybe termites are a bigger problem on your side of the country.

I too wouldn't worry too much about them. As long as they aren't in your home then they are not a problem However, if having termites nearby it's a concern (because they might decide to setup shop in your home), then I'd stop using the pine bark mulch. Choose a non-wood substitute. The termites are in your garden because of the pine bark food supply.

at teh VERY least you need to get an inspection. jsut because they are out from the house now does not mean they are not also IN the house. i found them in my flower bed last year. they were eating the mulch as well. their "home" though was by my wood pile(which is up on a concrete pad 6"+ off the ground), a full 100 ft fromthe house! all 3 companies i called for an inspection/treatment plan said they can and usually do travel a long distance under ground looking for food. at only 6ft from the house, they are almost there if not already!

do nto just go for the bait stations, those only monitor for activity. you need a chemical treatment to KILL the mound. this involves trenching around your house and drilling thru any concrete to lay an unbroken chemical barrier all teh way around your perimeter. there is no need to treat the veggie bed, if they are coming to teh house the barrier will get them there and they will carry it back to the mound to kill the rest.

I discovered a similar nest under a bag of pine mulch that I placed on top of existing mulch (along driveway and not house thankfully). I just shoveled & stirred them up and drowned with water. Some folks spread pine bark mulch around the base of their foundation for "looks" and it's just an invitation & food for the critters. It also has a way of attracting mildew which will spread to house siding (wood or vinyl).

i would be somewhat alarmed our neighbors had them had there house treated guess wherew they went.... that is right to our house and they got there termites from guess what.... MULCH around there house i would be very alarmed, if someone has never had them then they do not know how far these little things will travel and how far we are almost 100 yards from our neighbors house and the exterminator told use we got them from our neighbors when they treated around there house

I'd suggest to anyone who has termites in the vicinity to have their house inspected once by professionals, which costs about $300, and watch carefully what they do. Once you know what they look for, then you can do it yourself - it isn't rocket science.

Insect damage isn't covered by home owners insurance. Treating a house, either through drilling and poisoning or using bait stations and then poisons, is going to set you back $2,500. Let alone repairing any damage.

We've had termites come up in the middle of the house through a crack in the concrete slab, go up the walls and into the ceiling. Everyone we spoke to referred us to the bait / poison route, the termites hit the bait, which is a piece of aspen wood. They then shake a few termites into the poison canister, which is tissue paper impregnated with some chemical that interferes with termites shedding their skins or something, and replace the wood with the canister. The termites polish that off, and the nest dies.

Anyway, they're there all around there under you, all the time. You don't 'get' them from mulch or by stacking firewood, they live in networks, feeding on roots and dead trees, and occasionally they'll 'fly', spreading their territory that way.

We used to get a 'hit' on a bait station once a year for the first 5 years, but that's now stopped. Fingers crossed.

This refers to the indigenous termites, the Formosa termites in the South are something else all together.

First thing is I don't think they are termites. Has any professional actually identified them as termites. I would get 2 different people for positive ID. I suspect they are ants. Go to a library for picture ID.

Ant vs Termite :
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What you saw under the mulch if termites =
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I agree with David about inspecting. When we bought our present home I crawled and probed under there with the inspector. We both found some old termite damage that was taken care of years earlier but thankfully this old house was built of thick timbers of which they didn't make a dent. Basically the inspector uses a pointed tool to poke around foundation timbers for weaknesses or hollowness. Each Spring around this time of year I'll go out after a nightly rain to observe any swarming that may be present around the foundation. Their swarming is their givaway and they seem to perfer swarming after a warmish rain. The only swarms I've see over the past few years come from the woods across the street, the dragonflies are always waiting to swoop them up in midair, it's quite a show. I'll take a little walk into the woods to locate the nest which is usually in an old rotted tree stump. At that time I'll spray the stump as well as around the house foundation, air vents, porches, etc.

anyone know if they enjoy cedar bark mulch as much as pine bark mulch? (my HOA likes a mulched bed so that it all looks pretty, and chopped leaf mulch just won't satisfy the HOA)

do they also enjoy things like wet cardboard & pressboard? (wanted to make a "lasagna" type pile w/this - not to plant it - in a complete shade, under the deck, spot that I can't do anything with - just to recycle & make more compost with)

Thanks, & All the Best, Tree (who usually lurks in the Soil Forum :)

VGKG, thanks for the photos what I saw in the mulch is the same is the photo with the purple back ground. This is the first year using Pine Mulch Next year back to ceder!! Thank you all for your wonderful info!!!

g'day queenofhearts,

if they are only in the garden no worries, so if your termite protection plan is up to date then your home will be sufficiently protected from termite attack, if in doubt consult your pest control expert.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

They got into my house through a crack in the cement slab out in back. The culprit was pine mulch so I don't use it anymore. I had an expert come in for a look see after I found termite dust on one of my south windows. He found them all right, but luckily before they did too much damage. I had to have the entire house fumigated. They drilled down into the ground every twelve inches along the entire perimeter of the house and garage, even along the patio and cement slab and the breezeway that connects my house to the garage.

That was three years ago and they have not been back, thank goodness. Costly! I did have to have that entire south window replaced along with some of the surrounding wood. They were really in there.

Permethrin is available in a quart container and a five quart container. Most homeowners need the quart size, unless they are treating their home for termites. A one quart container of Permethrin Pro is only $49.50 plus freight.

Permethrin is available in different sizes and concentrations. In general, the weaker the formulation, the less time it will remain active in the soil. Be sure to treat the entire home for best results unless you are sure there is only a small area which needs to be treated.

Here is a link that might be useful: termites treatment