A recent email circulating on the Internet suggests that bark mulch being sold through certain large retailers is likely to be infested with an alarming new termite species. As with any successful hoax there is a kernel of truth in the rumor.

The message warns consumers to be on the lookout for termite infested mulch which the state of Louisiana is attempting to ship to whoever will take it. The termite being shipped, according to the message, is the Formosan termite, the supertermite bane of New Orleans. The message is purported to come from Louisiana State University sources.

According to Dr. Dennis Ring, extension entomologist from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, the university did not start the story. They did publish an article in October, notifying people about a quarantine on shipping wood from Formosan termite-infested areas and warning people in hurricane-areas to be careful how to dispose of their yard debris.

There is currently a quarantine on all wood waste from hurricane devastated areas of southern Louisiana. The quarantine specifically addresses the concern about Formosan termite-infested wood products being shipped to new areas. According to Dr. Gregg Henderson, research entomologist and termite expert from LSU, all yard debris and dead trees are being burned or shipped to a large local landfill near New Orleans. The state is currently considering how or whether large quantities of wood material can be treated prior to shipping to overflow landfills in Mississippi that do not currently have Formosans.

Louisiana neither encourages nor condones the sale of wood waste in mulch from the hurricane damaged areas. If anyone is chipping, bagging and selling mulch from southern LA it is being done illegally. The same would be true for parts of east Texas where downed trees from Hurricane Rita-affected areas may also be infested with Formosan termites.

The true part of the email is that Formosan termites are commonly found in damaged trees in the New Orleans area. Also it is possible for Formosan termites to be transported in wood mulch. This has occurred in at least one instance, prior to last year's hurricane season, and was observed by researchers at Texas A&M University. However, the chance for Formosan termites to be shipped in this way is relatively low for several reasons.

The chipping and mulching process used to make landscape mulch is highly destructive to termites and the likelihood of transporting a viable mini-colony of Formosans in this manner is relatively low.

A far more common route that Formosan termites are distributed is via the sale and distribution of recycled railroad ties. Railroad ties are pulled from railway beds and commonly sold throughout the country for use in landscaping. Unfortunately, despite their creosote treatment, Formosan termites can easily inhabit the center (untreated) areas of railroad ties. When railroad ties are collected from Formosan termite infested areas they can easily transport these termites to many parts of the country. Twenty-four counties in Texas have been found with Formosan termite infestations, although the principal infested areas are along the upper Gulf coast between Houston and Louisiana.

Despite the relatively low risk, consumers should be alert to the presence of termites in bagged or bulk mulches. Should you find termites in a bag of mulch you have just spread, apply a drench of a garden insecticide labeled for control of ant mounds or other soil insects to the newly spread mulch. If you open a bag and find it infested with termites consider resealing the bag and placing it in a larger black plastic garbage bag and exposing it to the hot sun for several days. Raising mulch temperatures to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or more is generally sufficient to kill all insect life.

Another way to ensure that you don’t introduce unwanted, exotic termites into your landscape is to purchase garden mulch from a reliable, local source. Many municipalities now produce and sell mulch made from city yard trimmings and landscape materials. This should be a safe source for mulch and is a great way to “close the loop” and encourage recycling of a valuable resource that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

For more information about Formosan termites, their Texas range and potential for destruction, see the website at http://termites.tamu.edu/formosan.html For text of the termite scare see the Snopes.com site documenting Internet rumors.