Speaking of Termites,,, if you own a home you MUST READ:

I am part of a Civic Association in my community and the president just emailed us this:

Subject: termites in mulch

The concern expressed in the message below apparently is being shared
between federal, state, and local agencies, with particular attention
to public works departments. This particular text is written for the
public. Just fyi in case you use mulch.

> Shortcut to: http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/termites/
> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct98/term1098.htm
> http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/termites/formosan_termite.htm

If you use mulch around your house be very careful about buying
mulch this year. After the Hurricane in New Orleans many trees were
blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is
trying to get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to any state or
company who will come and haul it away.

So it will be showing up in Home Depot and Lowes at dirt cheap prices
with one huge problem; Formosan Termites will be the bonus in many of
those bags. New Orleans is one of the few areas in the country were
the Formosan Termites has gotten a strong hold and most of the trees
blown down were already badly infested with those termites. Now we may
have the worst case of transporting a problem to all parts of the
country that we have ever had.

These termites can eat a house in no time at all and we have no good
control against them, so tell your friends that own homes to avoid
cheap mulch and know were it came from.

common name: Formosan subterranean termite

scientific name: Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Insecta: Isoptera:
Rhinotermitidae)

Introduction - Distribution - Description and Identification - Life
History - Damage - Pest Status - Management - Selected References

Introduction

The genus Coptotermes contains the largest number of termite pests (28
species) among the >2,800 termite species worldwide, and the Formosan
subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, is the most widely
distributed and most economically important. The Formosan subterranean
termite (FST) acquired its name because it was first described in
Taiwan in the early 1900s, but C. formosanus is probably endemic to
southern China.

This destructive species was apparently transported to Japan prior to
the 1600s and to Hawaii in the late 1800s (Su and Tamashiro 1987). By
the1950s, it was reported in South Africa and Sri Lanka. During the
1960s it was found in Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina. In 1980, a
well-established colony was thriving in a condominium in Hallandale,
Florida.

A single colony of FST may contain several million termites (versus
several hundred thousand termites for native subterranean termite
species) that forage up to 300 ft in soil. Because of its population
size and foraging range, the presence of FST colonies poses serious
threats to nearby structures. Once established, FST has never been
eradicated from an area.

Re: Speaking of Termites,,, if you own a home you MUST READ:

It's a bogus email: Snopes.com

Re: Speaking of Termites,,, if you own a home you MUST READ:

Actually it's not.

My father and his office confirmed it. He works for a pest control company and this information has been passed through out all of the branches.

The type of termites that live in the mulch only need moisture and wood to survive. They are not like subterrian termites which live underground. If these type of termites get into your house you have to tent and fumigate your entire house.