Need help !!

Needing help from you guys who know what to do. I was planting a couple of Turks Caps that I got in Kerrville, TX into my front bed and lo and behold, I dug up termites. They look like the standard subteranian kind as I have lived around them being here in SW Houston all my life.

Is there something I can get rid of them without damaging my other plants ??? Possibly organic ??

I'm coming over from the Native Texas Gardeners Forum.

Unless the bed is very close to your house and/or your house is new and the termite treatment for it is in question, I wouldn't worry too much. We have termites all over our yard. They are normal and can be anywhere under the soil. They shouldn't - as far as I know - damage healthy plants. They could be munching on your mulch - do you have bark mulch? Do you have wooden garden elements (wood fences, spikes, wood/bamboo trellises, railroad ties)? Do you have stumps in your garden? Any of these will attract termites. If you do have these things, you may want to keep them to a minimum if you are concerned about termites.

In my veggie garden, the termites would often get my tomato stakes, but the only plants they ever bothered (and only sometimes) was my turnips for some reason. Despite the ubundance of termites, they haven't gotten any of my other plants so far. I'm not saying that it isn't possible, but it is rare, and likely any plants they would get, would be plants that were already fairly damaged by something else (i.e. dying).

I'm not sure that I would suggest trying to treat for termites yourself. My Hubby is a professor at a college who specializes in wood destroying organisms and I'm an entomologist myself who advises homeowners and extension agents. Both of us generally suggest professinal help.

A few things to consider though:

* Bait traps will work, but they require monitoring and continued vigilance and might attract termites to the area. The baits work, so will kill them, but the termites might still be present. They also might not be cheap. The homeowner versions could do more harm than good if planted in the ground and forgotten - all they will do then is provide termite food.

*Chemical treatment - as for example would be used to treat a home - may involve digging and potentially a lot of it to properly apply the chemical. You may wish to make sure that there is really a problem before going this route.

* If your bed is right next to your house - depending on its size, it might be encroaching on your home's termite treatment - this is rare, but it can happen. In general, flower/ornamental beds right next to your foundation is a bad idea - the reasons of this are too numerous to list here, but you can trust me on that one.

You might be able to potentially just "spray something", but it will be just as likely to get your good bugs as the termites who most likely are hiding out at least part of their colony underground and out of reach of your chemicals. (Baits work on the principal that some is brought back and distributed to the hidden colony - this usually doesn't happen with spraying).

Keep in mind that one of the biggest enemies of termites are ants - maybe not the best ally - hee - but that's the truth of the matter.

If you have any more questions or specifics of the situation to share, I'll check back to this thread and try to answer them or readdress my advice accordingly.

Night_Bloom, Thanks for all the info !! You hit the nail on the head with the enemy statement. I've got at least 5 ant beds in my yard, soooo, since we transplant flowers, why not ants. I'll remember that for the future.

Kinda like introducing Ladybugs to the aphids. Having been in Houston area all my 49 years, I grown accustom to ants.