How To Get Termites Out Of Raised Garden Beds

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If you have a green thumb then your garden is probably your favorite part of your property. But what happens when your beautiful garden is riddled with termites?

They can make short work of destroying your vegetable patches and your flowerbeds.
But don't give up on your plants yet!

There are quick and simple ways you can rid your garden of termites without killing your plants.

Read the complete guide below to see how you can save your garden from these annoying pests.

What Type of Termite Species Are They?

First, you'll need to know what type of species the termites are. Once you're done with the termite inspection it will give you an idea on the best possible solutions of how to eradicate them from your garden.
There are three types of termites found in Australia:

Subterranean termite: This species of termite is the most common type found in most Australian homes. They're also the most destructive. Subterranean termites are typically found in building timber, rotten or dead wood and in soft damp soil.

Dampwood termites: The dampwood termite lives in dead wood that has a lot of moisture. If they're found inside the home it means the wooden building material has been exposed to excessive amounts of water. Eradicate these termites by removing the source of moisture in an area.

Drywood termites: These termites live in small colonies and in pieces of timber or wooden furniture. The drywood termites get their water from the wood they're feeding on and so they don't need moisture in order to thrive. However, they survive in regions with high humidity.

Places to Inspect for Termite Colonies

Base of a Tree

If you have many trees around your property, check the bases of all of them for termite nests. At first glance, you may see small holes with wooden shavings or dirt piled around them.

Take a spade and dig up some of the soil. If there are termites you'll see them moving around.

The termites could be coming from the tree bases and into your garden for moisture. If this is the case, we will explain how to remove them throughout this guide.

Termite Tubes

Termites use soil to construct their nests and travel tubes which are made up of wood, termite saliva & feces. These tubes connect the termites to the garden soil and their nests so they can travel between the two areas. These tubes are also built for the following reasons:

To search for food and water
Creating shelter from rain and predators so they can travel safely
Drop tubes to get from wood to the ground
Swarm tubes for flying termites

The Dos and Don'ts of Removing Termites from the Garden

There are some common mistakes when people try to remove termites on their own. In this next section, we'll explain what you shouldn't do to remove termites and the best ways to rid them from your garden.

The Don'ts

Never Use Insect Spray

Insect spray is poisonous to plants and it won't kill all the termites. The insect spray may kill the termites on the surface but they have colonies buried deep within the soil, so more will simply come up to the surface.

Using insect spray on termites may aggravate them so they'll migrate to a different part of your home. You don't want that to happen because they may discover wooden building materials inside your home to eat through.

Don't Use Pine Sleepers to Repel Termites

Some people will often use treated pine sleepers to raise their gardens. But the pine is treated with arsenic which is highly toxic. When people water the plants the chemicals from the pine seeps into the soil and will make its way into your food if you're growing vegetables.

With that in mind, if the pine or wood you're using is on the ground and exposed to moisture it will be a high breeding ground for termites.

Relocating Termites is Ineffective

Another common mistake people make is removing the topsoil with the termites and relocating it far from the property. But as mentioned before the termites burrow deep in the soil so you won't be able to get rid of all of them this way.

The Dos

Consult Pest Control Professionals

Phoning a pest control service is probably your best solution because they'll know exactly where to look for the termite nests and how to penetrate their colonies with chemicals. If termites are found in your garden, pest control services can use a non-toxic spray to rid your beds of termites.

The pest control service will give you advice on how to prevent future termite infestations to protect your gardens and the foundation of your property.

Sprinkle Termite Pesticides at the Base of All your Trees

There are pesticides or termite treatment you can use to sprinkle around the base of tree beds to kill termites. You should also sprinkle the pesticide inside termite tubes to kill the bugs deep within the soil.

Rid your Garden Beds of Termites with a Spade

Once you've used the termite treatment on the bases of all your trees and in the termite holes, it will kill the bugs deep within the colonies.

But you may have a few on top of your garden bed. Simply use a spade to shovel all the termites on the surface of your garden into a wheelbarrow and sprinkle the pesticide on top of them.

Afterwards you can dump the soil away from your property.

Final thoughts

We hope this guide was helpful and you were able to get rid of the termites infesting your garden. What are your techniques for getting rid of pests?

Let us know in the comments section below. You may help other gardeners get things done faster.