TERMITES IN MULCH What do I think about mulch and termites?  Well, I've got it around my house, if that tells you anything, and I'm not worried.... Mulch, of course, is designed to hold moisture, and mulch is generally made from some kind of wood, so you do have at least two of the requirements that both termites and carpenter ants need.  But, when you think of it, those two things are all over the place. Wooden artifacts you can't see, buried under the ground, sustain our termites quite well - even without your house.  Termites have been around here hundreds of millions of years, they were here first, and they'll be here when we're gone. Sometimes, however, mulch is delivered with termites, this can happen too, very common, we see it all the time.  But these termites are easily routed, and it's not really a problem most homeowners should worry about.  Most of the time they are only workers and will probably be unable to do any "damage" or propagate supplemental reproductives, to start a new, successful colony.  You could also see the alates, (swarmers) but they are even less of a worry.   So with the mulch, let me put it this way: You could REMOVE both of those items and STILL get termites and/or carpenter ants.  So I don't necessarily think you need to remove mulch to eliminate problems from these two pests.  And if you're really concerned, there is a TREATED mulch, it's kinda expensive, but it's supposed to work, (against termites) I have never used it, myself.  It has to be used carefully, it can damage some shrubs.  It is treated with an insecticide. If you have termites in your mulch, and you're actually concerned about it, replace it with rocks.  Those large, river rocks are nice, and they certainly won't harbor termites. Before your rocks are down, spread out (pierced) plastic sheeting as a base for the rocks and a deterrent to bugs and weeds.