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Pests & Diseases - Australia

Termites and compost

23 years ago

My son recently bought a house with an umkempt garden, in which there was a large old tree stump badly infested with termites. He's had that professionally dealt with, but happened to mention to the termite-man that I'd advised him to start up a compost heap with all the leaf-litter etc readily available. He wants to have a nice garden, including a vege patch. The termite-man told him not to have a compost heap under any circumstances, since termites loved the warm, damp conditions and would quickly infest the compost heap and thence enter the fences and eventually the house - which is all timber. Termites are rife in the area and cause plenty of expensive damage. Any comments?

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Comments (3)

bernard_qld
23 years ago
Yes, I was also adviced by our pest controller not to have a compost heap near the house. But if you have termites in the garden and in the mulch you may also find them in the house. Put a termite barrier down and keep you compost heap at the far end of the garden and apart from that follow common sense, ie. no garden beds right next to the house walls etc.
Daisyduckworth
Original Author
23 years ago
Am I correct in assuming that if you've had termites in the garden, mulching is not a good idea?

And would you kindly explain how to 'put down a termite barrier'?

Thanks.
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Difficult to say without actual eyes-on but possible I suppose that it might be of interest to both termites and carpenter ants. More importantly, that doesn't sound like a good location for storing composting materials at best - that close to the house/foundation/deck. That is never recommended. So I would definitely encourage you to move the stuff further away, out into the open air so the area can dry out under there and so be sprayed with termite killer if needed. It will also allow the compost to dry and air out and encourage the departure of any pests. Just something to consider. Dave
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doctorsteve, I live in Florida which has been called (among other names) the termite capital of the world. I have also seen the damage that termites can do if unnoticed. And yes, I have seen and treated termites in mulched areas close to my house. The current trend of protecting the inside of the house without treating the inside of the house, is a concept which I whole heartedly support. Therefore I would mulch with the most effective material BUT I will inspect my whole landscape, in a regimented fashion, to satisfy myself that I do not have an incipient problem. I would hope to catch problems early because I know that it is much more holistic to treat a landscape problem in its earliest stage.
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bernard_qld
23 years ago
Termites are everywere, in trees, fallen log, dead roots etc. They just happen to live there, hence impossible to get rid of them. Therefore, do not worry about not mulching, just make sure you don't spread mulch right next to the house structure since termites can get into the house unseen.
A termite barrier is a physical or chemical obstruction that prevents termites from getting into your house. If you have an old house, check that white ant caps are functional on the stumps, or if it is a lowset house, have a reputable pest controller place a chemical barrier around the perimeter of the house. In case of newly-built houses, steel mesh or granite sand may be used to prevent termites from getting into the house.
Best is to find a good pest controller (now that is a very difficult task, there are more crooks and cowboys around than reputable guys, it appears to me)
In anycase, do not panic just be alert.

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