termites in compost pile and raised beds

I brought a sample of dirt from two of my raised beds to some Master Gardeners in my area. They identified from the dirt sample that I have termites that are in the larval stage. I'm wondering if anyone has had this problem? ...and what they've done.

There does not appear to be any damage to vegetables; however, there's a part of me that thinks that I'm continuing to provide a breeding spot for them and that I could create myself a problem.

Did you have wood mulch on the beds? I know they'll eat mulch which is one of the reasons you need to keep it a certain distance away from the foundation. Other than mulch though I don't know if you necessarily did anything to encourage them--I think termites are fairly common in this area so it's not surprising to find them around. The trick is to make sure they can't find their way from wherever they're hanging out into your house...if the beds aren't too far from your house then I'd probably have a termite inspection done on the house if it's been a while since it was last checked, that way you'll catch any problems quickly.

They like the moisture and the fiber that is available in the compost. Add beneficial nematodes and they will eat the termites.

Also evaluate if you are watering the plants too much or if you can reduce the moisture a notch to a level that does not bother the plants that you have. Avoid water build near your house's foundation. And consider using about 1.5 inches of rubber mulch if the problem persists (but... rubber mulch is not as nice looking although it does come in many colors... it is also more expensive than regular mulch).

I had to replace an old fence that was attracting them several years ago. The fence posts were touching the ground and that attracted these unwelcome visitors. Since the fence was falling apart is many sections, I elected to replace the whole thing.

There are commercial firms that you can also use to treat this problem. Some of these firms use organic solutions (beneficial nematodes, boric acid products, etc), others only use chemicals and others use both. If you decide to select a firm to deal with the problem, get a detailed written estimate to facilitate comparisons (my estimates were all over the map costwise) & select firms with BBB Approval or Chamber of Commerce Recomendations.

I would think they would be a good thing in the compost pile in that they would help speed up decomposition of the wood. There has to be something in the compost pile to attract them, right?

Jerry

Termites are actually beneficial in that they consume wood. If there were no termites, we'd be buried in the stuff. They are harmful when they relocate to the wood in our homes. I never do anything to termites I find in the garden - they are there for a purpose. As ecrane said - just keep the wood mulch away from your foundation. I also check ever so often for the tubes that they make (from the ground and up the foundation) in order to enter through weep holes into the house. If I ever see one, then an exterminator is in order.