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

I live in FL where there is a saying about houses. "There are those that have termites and those that will have termites." Anyway, termites are active year round here and there are many that fly and get into houses from the attic vents but that is kinda beside the point. Termites like moist dead wood, they will also make tunnels up a foundation to get into the wood structure of a home. Keep the area right around the foundation clear so you can inspect. I have actually seen termites in large chunks of wood mulch. I don't know that it attracts termites but if they are there and it is moist, they will like it. All that said, I use lots of chipped up trees around my house as mulch, I just try to keep it a foot or so away from the foundation. It is good to inspect along the foundation for their tunnels going up looking for a way in. And take care of moisture problems since termites and carpenter ants have far more trouble eating dry wood than they do moist wood. Just so you know which grain of salt to take with my two cents, my house is concrete block with wood roof and wood interior structure. I might not be so willing to use wood chip mulch if my home were log or timber frame.

The reason for using either newspaper or cadboard is to deprive any plants growing under that material from getting the sunlight they need for growth. Deprive them of that sunlight and they will die. If there is no growth, or if the mulch material is dense enough to do that then there is no need to use newspaper or cardboard. So if you put down a 6 inch layer of mulch that should deprive anything attempting to grow under it of sunlight. The primary reason for using newspaper or cardboard is to enable one to use less of the quite expensive mulch material then would other wise be necessary.

Tree stumps were buried under the soil and gravel by the pervious owner that we didn't know. As the neighbor's trees grow taller and bigger block most of the sun, only a few weeds and hosta can grow at the backyard, and soil erosion exposes the stumps that was how I've found out. And on the other side of the fence, my neighbor has a huge firewood pile there for more than two years. My lot is very small. I'm just wondering was the previous owners knew about that, was that the reason they mulched the area next to the driveway with gravel and under the deck, and when they built the deck, they used compiste wood and mental posts? It's not common using these materials in my town. From my own experience, I made a compost pile next to the termite colony (I didn't know about the termites) last spring. This spring I removed it and used the area for new plantig area. When I dug holes there were no termites or signs of their activities. But,I grew up in a big city (my home was on 21st floor). I have very little knowledge about insects. The mulch at the foundation bed is completely composted, it was done by the previous owners. I usually don't rake up the leaves at fall until next spring to give the plants extra protection. When I read the contact of the termite service, they terms state that any cellose debris will affect the treatment effectiveness. In our area, one in 3 homes has some termite demages. Now I'm in a tough position. Even compost mulch still provides a perfect condition for them to live. Even the treated woods still can be a potential food for the termite down the road. Sholud replace the fence with the plastic one? Should I stop gardening for that reason? Then my life would become all about termite. I've got to live a little.