Mulch from NO NOT infested with termites, not even being sold

[babylonsister]

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/14151169.htm

snip//

It's just an Internet "urban legend," according to Dini Miller, associate professor of urban pest management in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Miller, too, has been swamped with residents everywhere asking about the rumor.

Because the e-mails have circulated nationwide - globally, say some - the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry issued a release stating contractors cannot move woody debris out of impacted areas of New Orleans without first submitting a treatment plan that's approved by state and federal agencies. All woody material in the quarantined areas is going to an approved landfill within the designated quarantine area, says Matthew Keppinger, assistant commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

At Lowe's, spokeswoman Karen Cobb says the company buys mulch only from vendors that adhere to rigorous certification standards set by the non-profit Mulch and Soil Council.

"This ensures our customers they are getting good quality," she says.

The possibility of Formosan termites living in mulch bags is unlikely, according to the mulch council.

"These termites are soft-bodied and can only survive in a moderate temperature," says spokeswoman Jennifer Gillette. "It is unlikely the termites would survive the mulch grinding process and the high temperatures in mulch bags in delivery."

snip//

[SmokingJacket]

1. How about their eggs?

I don't know anything about this; just asking.

[northzax]

2. sure, it's unlikely that they'll survive

but the ones that do will be super termites. After they are intelligently desinged that way, of course.