>is the difference negligible?

I think not! I haven't found any termites in the areas I have mulched with sugarcane. Wish I could say the same for others.

My garden beds are mulched thickly with sugar cane mulch, and all the rest of my block is mulched with all the rubbish that tree loppers get including wood chips. Never seen a termite here yet but if any did happen to come around the millions of ants that live under the SC Mulch would soon get rid of them. I know Iam lucky but we are always on the look out for the dreaded termite. I do think it is a "Where you Live " when it comes to termites and mulch. Saying that hubby does put any timber up on bricks out of harms ways. But SC Mulch is ok the toads like to live under it also......Cheers..MM.

first up termites are a fact of life here in australia as they are in many other parts of the world. but if your home is built properly or properly maintained and protected against termites then there is no worry if they get into something in the garden then there is no worry.

they will help in the decomposition just like any other organism. and from what i have been told by specialist there are many different sub-terrainian termites not all are attracted to our homes. now in the past i have used wood chip from tree loppers quiet often never did i see termites in it though i knew there where termites there, not saying it can't happen just wonder at the likelyhood of it happeneing lots of people still use wood chips and many seek it out.

nowadays i use grass mulches never seen termites in that either but there are termites out there that preffer that sort of material as their food source. i also use lots of newspaper again never had any termites have heard a couple cases where they did get them but then it's all happening in the garden.

chipped tree is a great mulch for the garden, reckon termites or not i'd still use it.

len

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

I too am panic stricken about termites as they are in the area, the separate garage has had previous damage, and they have been found in the garden before. We use sugar cane mulch on top of weedmat, and find its BRILLIANT. The garden we first did it too was struggling, and now is like a rainforest - its SOOO healthy! I've found the water runs through the weedmat, so the soil is moist, yet the sugar cane mulch stays dry as since termites aren't terribly attracted to dry stuff, we feel pretty safe.

Good luck!

I can't answer your Q specifically because I haven't used cane mulch (yet) and also live 1000k north with possibly different spp. of termites. This is a suburb well known for its termite populations and our back yard and the adjoining neighbour's still have timber retaining walls. Pest controllers will tell you that termites require three things: food, shelter and moisture. I spent a few years panicing and reading and asking questions but have calmed down now.

Here:
# approx. annual inspections. Lucky to have someone who is happy to facilitate self-help (like home made monitoring systems)
# he says no garden beds next to house. My compromise is a couple of rarely watered and unmulched beds, still working on that one. I wouldn't want concrete strips unless they had treatment pipes included. Could see the pests sheltering underneath in the wet we are supposed to be going to have.
# try to maintain at least 6 monitoring stations which are checked monthly. I have had 'Mike' treat two of these, one was in a very popular area and they have not returned after over a year which makes me hope that's one nest down. I've also got casual monitoring stations (old phone books are excellent) concealed under hedges etc. These are well away from the house as I don't want to be attracting termites too close for my comfort. I don't have a problem with using mulchs they may like further from the house. Cow manure is favoured by them, also the hardwood sawdust I bring in for the potting mix project.
Rose

Hi Rose,

Yes, we too have monitoring stations setup by the pest controller. Last year they were checked monthly, but this year they are checked 3 monthly as last year found minimal activity, plus 3mthly is a lot cheaper!

I was a bundle of nerves when we first found the buggers, I could picture our relatively new purchase of the house turning to woodchips overnight! I too have calmed down a fair bit, but still worry!

Len - they are a fact of life in many parts of Aus, but not everywhere. At our previous house if we laid a stick of timber on the ground it would be attacked by termites almost immediately. Here timber laying on the ground might rot because of the damp soil, but no sign of termites.
Do they actually do any harm if they are living in the mulch? I would imagine that, if they are a good distance from the house, then they are not a problem. They would contribute to the breakdown of the mulch to form good humus for the soil.

I think I'll stick to sugarcane mulch then, at least on the areas closest to the house.

yes sparaxis,

in past yards i have often run a pile of old branches timber right up the backto keep the termites amused, lots of others did also that i new of the thoguth being if they have something nice and easy to eat they won't bother damaging their dentures on seasoned hardwood (all our past homes where older than 35 years), well needless to say even though one home 75 year old was on original wooden stumps and not a termite in sight in the home.

the termite experts warn about gardens right up along the sides of homes or foundations, as this keeps that area moist for the termites to gather in. the suggestion is nothing for about a meter around the house other than stome mulch not even cement paths (termites use these as stopovers), then the cement paths around the outside of the stone mulch (this allows the ground to dry out and nil wee/grass growth), then 2 meters out from the house should be the nearest garden, we've never had gardens closer than 3 meters and never owned a home with termite problems, and what happens to organic material in the gardens never bothers me just so long as it breaks down.

got no faith at all in these modern pine framed homes with all walls/ceilings plaster board all termites fave' food.

len it all comes down to common sense not fear hype.

I wont use forest mulch anymore. Used it once and found that I was reaaly feeding the termites. Now use sugar mulch have not noticed any problems with the blighters. However the finelt chopped sugar mulch in the compressed bales is a problem. It compacts like lawn clippings and does not allow rain to penetrate. Have had to mix it with some other coarser material.

With regard to the termite monitoring stations - how expensive are these?

Regards
GH

g'day gh,

we used the centricon system developed by csiro it is installed by one of the pest companies they put a certain amount of bait sations around your home and for the annual contract come back and check these at regular intervels.

you could probably make your own stations, i think i have seen something at sometime don't know where but? it wouldn't take much nutting out, could be made using that downpipe material maybe not 90mm but say 75mm stuff. might help to do a search see what you turn up.

probably the only downside is if your bait stations get results then you probably aren't going to be able to get hold of the ar snik based bait used to kill the nest all the time we used the bait station system it never detected any termites in the home parameter.

you could use pieces of untreated pine as bait like they did or use tightly rolled up corrigated cardboard.

len

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

GH
This is the box recipe I've followed, being able to inspect for activity without disturbing them too much seems to be important. The downpipe ones look tidy, my pest man was happy to sell me one station so I could copy it. He will still offer a choice between arsenic dusting and something more modern like fipronil but others may not.
Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: CSIRO bait box

yeh i think maybe you need to use any colour but white can't remember but i think the centricon ones where green or the like and had caps you could unscrew at the surface level so as not to disturb the whole box.

len

Len, the pest controller sold me one based on a black plastic box; it wasn't placed in an active location as it turned out. One of my broccoli box ones scored a large number of termites quickly. It was easy enough to just lift the top layer or two of corregated cardboard to detect them. I made sure the lid fitted tightly and that the base was sealed with soil.

Sorry, cestrum!

We weren't aware of the cheaper home self check termite systems around similar to the proper Sentricon when we took it up, and it did cost a bit initially, but the renewals are a lot cheaper as initially its for the stations and installation (and some of ours were in concrete that needed drilling.
Considering most of the cheaper copies that you install yourself aren't tonnes cheaper, and the fact that you still need to get the pest guys in to treat it if any are found, I think its worthwhile doing properly.

As for using phone books etc to monitor, I think its a bit harder to successfully poison the termites that attack the phone books, and I really wouldn't be leaving my home to chance for the sake of a bit more money.

Judith
I wouldn't want anyone who doesn't read every word to think that phone books were mentioned as a sole means of defence. Far from it, and I think my first post covered the bones of what we do. I work in closely with a trusted pest controller, he's happy with my CSIRO styled stations and reminds me that there are likely many more nests within the holy grail 50m in other people's yards and good reduction of numbers *might* only be possible if a group of adjoining neighbours co-operated.

Chippies here joke that if you put your hammer down and turn around, the handle will be gone when you turn back. It suits me to make my own stations, the only cost is my time, but if the pest man said they weren't up to the job I would ditch them.

People on larger areas often have to educate themselves for different situations e.g sheds and timber fencing etc and use the registered products themselves for prevention and treatment. What ever fits the individual's set up.

Cheers
Rose