It would depend on the specific type of poison used and without at least the brand name there is no way for us to look up the MSDS sheet for it. Suggest contacting the manufacturer and ask them how long it remains in the soil and what the safety concerns are with it.

Personally I wouldn't do it as most of the termite controls I'm familiar with are intended for long term effect and so remain active in the soil for a long time and only leach out very slowly because of the oil base used in them to provide stability.

JMO

Dave

I'm sorry you are in this glitch. Can I assume you have positively identified the insects as termites, as opposed to flying ants? Taking it farther, did you identify exactly what kind of termite you are dealing with?

I have lived at various times in the south and southwest and can empathise with the critter situation there compared to where I live now. I also know that it isn't possible or even preferable to automatically call in professional exterminators every time you see a bug. But, I also don't panic when I happen on surprises like finding a raised bed come alive and usually seek documentation from somebody who knows more than I, and then seek the solution with the least toxicity.

We had a termite infestation to our house about four years ago and it cost us major $. But, we're talking a garden here not a structure. Please also be aware chemicals used in the household and periphery don't be automatically interchangeable with food crops and vegetable gardens.

I have a hunch what you ended up with from the box store. I also have a hunch it has a label on it specifying the circumstances where your soil is again safe for edibles. Did you find out it is loooooooooong term? Is that why you want to replace the soil? ;-)

Why don't you just move the raised bed and you'll know better the next time.

All I can tell you is that I got a termite infestation in the garden this year because of infected compost from the big box stores. It was crawling with them! Yuck! So I contacted my exterminator. He told me that there was NOTHING he could treat with that would be safe for the garden.

He also told me that there wasn't likely to be a queen in the mix, so the termites present would probably perish and not to worry. This seemed to prove true. I'll know for sure the next time I dig up plants in that area.

Hope this helps,
Susan

what does the instructions on the package say? temites are a a part of life for most, if in the garden why treat them all you need do is make sure you have a pest company that maintains the protection barrier around the home. they won't do any harm in the garden, the termites most likley would have moved on once they where disturbed.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Just found out that my husband used "Bayer's Termite Killer" granules. On the box, it says that its extremely toxic to aquatic invertibrates. Also says..toxic to humans if swallowed, inhaled etc. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!! Thanx.

Just Google its primary ingredient - Imidacloprid - and read about it. Then decide where to move your garden.

Consider it a valuable lesson learned the hard way.

Dave

That's exactly what I thought you used. It also says right on the label how long you need to wait. And I guessed it right, that is why you thought changing soil would help. Change your garden spot for as long as the label says. You don't know how much of it has moved out of the original soil. In the grand scheme of things, termites in a garden are actually considered beneficials as they move the soil around as they burrow like ants and worms. On top of that, just tilled them would have prolly killed the majority of them as they sounded like subterranean species who need moisture always. And termites and ants vie for the same territory and if you'd damaged their burrows you'd have probably set up the perfect situation for ants to move in and the termites would have been history.

I am familiar with the active ingredient in this product, as it was used extensively in greenhouses before release to the retail market. I would have been happy if its sale remained limited to commercial growers in controlled environments or even have it listed as restricted use.

Great info everyone.

Prathima, so sorry about your garden. I hope you have an area you can move veggie production to while this degrades.

I had recently raise a vegetable bed and had used some mulch from my compost heap as ground covering. Everything was fine until this morning, I found termites under the mulch! Anyway, I did some research and introduce ants to the spot where the termites was with fine sugar mixed with baking soda. One hour later, suthere were a hive of activities. The ants were attacking the termites. The results hopefully, I get rid of the termites and then, the ants as the baking soda supposed to kills the ants. Will post more results soon.

Why were you concerned about the termites or am I missing something. If you disrupt there nest they will die or move on.