Termite Infected Mulch Scare Just a Hoax

 Months after Hurricane Katrina damaged the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the aftereffects of the disaster are still lingering and creating havoc on the daily lives and minds of everyone.    If that wasn’t enough to worry about, within the last week or so, an email was circulating around warning people about Formosan termite infected mulch from New Orleans being shipped out of Louisiana and being sold at various home improvement retail stores.  I too received the email, forwarded by a master gardener, and first wondered if this was true and even possible. As with any type of scare, other Extension agents and I received lots of calls, emails, and even inquiries from the media all over the state about termite infected mulch from Louisiana being in Alabama.  Let me put this fear to rest right now and say that this email and scare is nothing but a hoax.

 The message making its rounds via email warns homeowners about the dangers of buying dirt-cheap mulch procured from ground-up trees and other debris from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. While the mulch may be widely available and cheap at major retail outlets, the email warns that it also may harbor highly destructive Formosan termites.   A specific line from the email states  “These termites can eat a house in no time at all and we have no good control against them, so tell your friends that own homes to avoid cheap mulch and know were it came from,”

 This much is true: Formosan termites thrive in certain types of mulch, though not all of them, according to Dr. Xing Ping Hu, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist and Auburn University professor of entomology and plant pathology. If the mulch is partly made up of ground-up trees harboring the termites, there is a chance the pests ultimately could gain a toehold in your yard. Past experience has shown that the termites can hitch rides to other states via a wide array of products --- mulch, telephone polls and railroad ties.

 Even so, there is still no real cause for panic. For starters, Louisiana authorities are actively involved with the efforts to prevent the spread of the termites to other states, including using multiple methods for treating hurricane debris and posting quarantines on out-going products. Last fall, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry issued quarantines for woody debris in Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. Woody debris cannot be moved out of these areas without first submitting a plan for treatment to the department.

 Alabama Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks has reassured consumers that safety precautions have been taken to ensure that wood infested with Formosan subterranean termites has not and will not be sold for use as mulch in Alabama.  "I am not sure how this rumor got started, but I want to be sure that it is cleared up quickly," said Commissioner Sparks recently in a press release.  "We have been working with Commissioner Odom in Louisiana very closely following Katrina.  Our mutual concerns are protecting our homes and making sure that people are safe."  Additional precautions have also been taken recently in Louisiana by their state officials.

 "I've had my people out looking into these claims to make sure there are no violations of the quarantine," said Odom.  "I've also had our invasive pest expert contact the stores mentioned in the email and we've yet to find any validity to the claims in the email.  In my opinion, someone is using the Internet to cause hysteria about a problem that doesn't really exist," Odom said.

 Although this situation is a hoax, primarily because both state officials have taken the necessary steps to eliminate the possibility, the potential is real because termites do like wood.  As homeowners, you should remain vigilant, not only with mulch from Louisiana but from other parts of the Southeast as well.  First, make sure the mulch you purchase is from reputable source.  Mulch containing a mixture of wood chips may not be the best choice, since all termites, including our native ones in Alabama, feed on the cellulose part of wood.  Mulch containing just bark will not attract termites and is the preferred choice around and near homes.

For more information, contact the Tallapoosa County Extension Office at 256-825-1050 or visit us online at www.aces.edu.