Cheap Mulch To Look Out For

[JD LAWNCARE]

I had some one past this on to me for what it is worth. It may keep us from a headache from a customer.
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.

Shortcut to: http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/termites/

[FSully]

UGGHHHHHHH

http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutldaf/presscenter/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=542

Quote:
Mulch Rumors Untrue

March 3, 2006

Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.

That is the message Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom is stressing to the public as an email rumor about Formosan termite-infested mulch is circling the globe.

The email warns consumers not to purchase “cheap” wood mulch at major home improvement chains because it may be infested with Formosan termites.

“The email is not accurate and doesn’t even mention the quarantines this department put in place last fall to keep Formosan termites from spreading,” Odom said. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry issued quarantines following the hurricanes for woody debris in Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. Woody debris cannot be moved out of these areas without first submitting a plan for treatment to the department.

“I’ve had my people out looking into these claims to make sure there are no violations of the quarantine. I’ve also had our invasive pest expert contact the stores mentioned in the email and we’ve yet to find any validity to the claims in the email,” Odom said.

“In my opinion, someone is using the Internet to cause hysteria about a problem that doesn’t really exist. If there are people out there who know about someone violating the quarantines, then they need to report it to us. We’ll shut the culprits down real quick but it has to be reported,” Odom said. “I think the quarantines are doing the job, though. We’ve worked with the debris contractors, the Corps of Engineers and FEMA to handle the debris and quarantines.”

An official with the LSU AgCenter’s Cooperative Extension Service said their offices have been receiving calls non-stop about information contained in the emails.

“Our termite specialists are getting inundated with calls and e-mails,” said Dr. Paul Coreil, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor and director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. “We have posted new information on our Web site. We hope people will continue to use this as a resource for accurate information.”

To report a quarantine violation, call (225) 925-3763. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Web site, www.ldaf.state.la.us, and the LSU AgCenter’s Web site, www.lsuagcenter.com, contain information about the quarantines, Formosan termites and debris disposal.

[jgc8fan]

Well... If anyone around Jax FL finds any of this mystery mulch by tues then let me know... LOL I need 8 cu yds for a job on a realtor prop, and wish this story was true so I could pad my profits a bit.

[Yard Dawg]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/termites.asp

Yard Dawg