Help! What to do - preventing termite problems in my garden

Hello! I'm a long time experienced gardener, but lived in the north where there are no termites. I'm buying a place (in the northeast) and I know there are (only) ground termites present. I plan on putting in a few acres of gardens: ornamental, veg and fruit and may occasionally have small livestock. I know how to protect my buildings from termites, but not the garden.

*What activities and materials do I need to avoid using in my gardening?

I will do the obvious, including avoiding the use of wood for fence posts and other construction and being cautious with wood mulch. There are three old trees that need to go and I'll pull the stumps.

*Should I avoid certain materials (sticks, straw, chips) in compost piles?
*Will it be a problem to use straw as mulch (eg, strawberries)?
*Will it be a problem to use pine needles as mulch?
*Will termites be attracted to or damage vegetables or living shrubs or trees?
*Are they known to eat vegetables? I read on a thread that someone had termites eat his turnips.
*Are there plants that deter termites?
*Anyone have experience with chickens eating termites?

I have a lot of planning and work to do - I don't want to make major mistakes!

Any ideas, thoughts, comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks a ton!

We have termites in my area. We built the house we are in and were in a position to deter them (poured concrete foundation is 18" above ground) but for our last house we paid a professional inspector to come and check for termites and carpenter ants as well as a few other things before we bought the house because we certainly didn't want to inherit any. I recall many people having issues with lumber they used for decks so we chose concrete patios for both homes. I don't believe there to exist any plants that deter termites. They won't damage your vegetables because they feed on cellulose which means they are mostly interested in non-living wood. I don't believe there is any need to avoid using organic mulches away from your home (I certainly do all the time and because of my concrete foundation, I use hardwood mulch right up next to the house) and I think a compost pile is not going to be an issue at all. I don't have any chickens but I'm sure they'd eat them and find them to be a delicacy. Maybe get an ant eater for a pet? Just teasing with you. Termites are supposedly pretty easy to control these days but who wants to have to pay to get rid of them. Since you're moving, why not just get a licensed, bonded, and insured home inspector to go over any new home you are considering. They only cost around $300 out our way and they're worth their weight in gold as far as I'm concerned. It's that ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure deal.

Here, I just went online and found this site for you-
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2092C.html

Explains all about them much better than I could.

Really sorry about teasing you about getting an ant eater. I looked up chickens and they do eat them so they should be fine. I did find that geckoes will make short work of termites but your climate is too cold for them.

Thanks for the thoughts,

If I could have an anteater, I would! I think that moles eat termites, but I have no idea how to encourage them! My thoughts immediately went to chickens/fowl because they eat insects and they scratch in the dirt.

I have done a lot of research on dealing with termites in the house, so I'm pretty secure about that. I've done research on which mulches are preferred by termites.

I'm worried about encouraging existing termites with straw (cellulose) or chipped wood, compost piles, etc. And I don't want to run across them in my rutabegas. Eww.

Thanks,
Jackie

I think ant eaters are just the cutest things. I've seen them at zoos and of course on National Geographic. They strike me as being one of those critters that would mind their own business eating ants to their heart's content leaving me alone. I guess it was really late and I was sort of slap happy and had a silly bug in me. Moles and shrews will eat ants too. You might not need to encourage them as they're probably out there and you don't even know it. I realize many people want to rid themselves of these critters but I like having them around and love the free "clean up" services they provide for me. Nice to see someone else wants to encourage them. There are HavAHart traps out there that live trap this size critter. I've got friends who hate shrews and chipmunks so when they want to rid themselves, I'm the drop off point. Works for me so maybe you could ask around. People might think you are off your rocker but I've never let that deter me from asking for people to let their critters go by me.

Here before winter sets in, people will take bales of straw or hay and place them around their foundations and those bales end up sort of like Christmas decorations that turn into Easter and 4th of July decorations if you know what I mean. I don't think I have ever heard of anyone around here having an issue with straw or hay. Are there people out your way having issues with straw? Just curious

rutabagas and termites (protein)... would that be sauteed or just sort of dipped in batter and deep fried?

That's good info.

I have heard termites will eat any form of cellulose - even straw.

Anyone out there know?

The straw bale house site said they're not a problem, and they've been known to eat the wooden windows in a straw house and leave. If your buildings are protected, I certainly wouldn't be concerned about termites in the garden. Worry about deer instead!

That's good info about the straw bale houses. I'll go research that . . . wonder which kind of termites they had, the dry/above ground ones or the ground-nesting ones.

I've gardened with deer for eons, I'm not so worried about them. Termites are new (and exciting?).
I definitely don't want to encourage them and want to hear all about others' experiences with termites in the garden. It's good to know.


This message was edited Feb 7, 2007 3:15 PM

I don't think they eat straw, pine needles, etc, just wood. So you might want to avoid mulch made from bark or chipped wood in the areas closest to the house, but other things should be fine.

Well, if your not worried about deer, you definitely don't need to worry about termites in your garden. I don't think it's a problem. Here's a link to an article about 'Termidor'.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_diseases_pests_insects/article/0,1785,HGTV_3580_1389580,00.html

claypa, you have a very valid point. Best to worry about deer instead. They use the classic baits around here when somebody runs into a termite problem. I've never heard of anyone having serious problems with termites. They learn they have them, they freak out and have a heart attack visualizing their house getting eaten from the inside out (that's what would happen to me), they call the exterminator 24 hour hotline, and the termites end up hasta la bye bye. I would think that with all the people who stack up straw and hay around their foundations for winter around here that don't remove their bales until summer that some sort of problems would have been mentioned over at the feed store where everyone gathers to chat and gossip. I literally have wood chips right up to my foundation and the depth of the mulch is at least 3" if not 4" and this house is almost 5 years old now.

I found this interesting article on a study that was done too see which mulches termites would eat--they found that melaleuca mulch was the one they were the least interested in. I'm not sure if it's available in your area though
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FR075

Figures it would be Melaleuca that the subs find to be the least tasty.

I also read that research on Melaleuca . . . I'm definitely seeking it out for a test run.

I think where they get the Melaleuca mulch from is from ripping them out of places like FL where they've become invasive--so if you buy it you not only don't feed the termites, but you're also helping dispose of an invasive species. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that's where it comes from, I don't think people are out there growing it on purpose to turn it into mulch. That's why I'm not sure if it's available in your area, I think it's something that's more locally available in the areas of the southeast where people are trying to remove it.

The florida - melaleuca story is a very sad one. It's eating the everglades. If you want to know more here is a link.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2004/2004-11-02-01.asp

I grew up in ft. lauderdale and usually spent my weekends swamp trompin through the everglades with my camera. The target was the hammocks that dotted the landscape where I would find some amazing orchids.

X

Its my understanding that Termites (ats least the ones that we have around here) only eat dead wood, not live garden plants - dont' worry 'bout 'em...

We touched briefly on termite problems in my Master Gardener class. You must be careful about moisture -- they need this. Don't plant too close to the foundation of your home. Watch and look out for "tunnels" that could appear on your exterior walls - a sign that they are getting into your house.
Of course, the termites up north could be so different from our southern little buggers.