Many insects live in brush and wood piles. Some of them use such piles for shelter while others consume the organic matter and wood. Other insects are attracted to the pests in wood and debris. Thus, when you deal with pests, you must get rid of wood, piles of paper, and brush from your property, garage, or crawlspace. But what about mulch? Should you also remove it from your property? To learn more about preventing pest infestations and how mulch can contribute to them, keep reading:
What Pests Does Mulch Attract?
As a homeowner, you must understand the type of pets that are drawn to mulch, so you know the type of issues to expect. Often, termites, cockroaches, mice, ants, spiders, and mosquitoes are drawn to mulch. Particularly, termites and carpenter ants like mulch since it’s wood. Also, other pests are drawn to mulch due to its ability to create a cool and moist environment. Smaller pests are sheltered under the mulch. Bigger pests such as spiders are drawn to mulch as it can harbor other insects they can eat.
Kinds of Mulch that Draws Pests to Your Yard
The kind of mulch you have usually determines the kind of pests it may attract. But any type of organic matter is attractive to pests. Typically, termites prefer mulch that is made of white birch, loblolly, and slash pine. Ants and mice prefer any kind of organic matter. But mice are also drawn to fluffed mulch. Roaches go for pine straw mulch and bark shavings while mosquitoes prefer any kind of wet mulch. Spiders like any type of wood mulch, especially pine bark mulch.
Mitigating the Risk
Is it necessary to eliminate mulch to keep pests at bay? Not necessarily. You can choose to have inorganic mulch. Organic mulch includes bar, straw, leaves, and grass. Meanwhile, inorganic mulch is made of rocks, plastic, or rubber. Rocks can be used to cover your ground and keep weeds out. Rubber and plastic mulch are available in chunks that mimic the look of wood chips and nuggets. If you prefer organic mulch, pick the naturally pest-repellent kinds. For instance, cypress or cedar mulch contains natural chemicals that repel roaches, termites, and some kinds of ants, moths, and beetles. Other kinds of wood mulch are available in stores with pest treatments. Just ensure you do your homework to buy properly-treated mulch that does not attract pests.