Question
I received a message from a friend recently that said that they are selling discount mulch made out of trees from New Orleans that were blown down, and it contains something called Formosan Termites. It says that these are special termites that will eat a house practically overnight and there is no way at all that we know yet to get rid of them. I don't believe everything i read so I was wondering before these termites start showing up in our area (everybody mulches) if you are familiar with these termites and if there is a way to control them? (Please don't tell me to put sugar in my lawn. I am asking a serious question here.)

Answer
This was an Urban Legend that started showing up in my mailbox shortly after the government botched the Katrina cleanup.

It says:

"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."

The Formosan termite referenced in this spam (Coptotermes formosanus) is like any other bug: It would be shredded into oblivion if it made it that far.

The Great State of Louisiana quarantined all wood products to stop this termite right after Katrina.  Enforcing it of course is problematic. But the wood in question is chipped and stored in such a way that any termites would be attracted to the bag and this is in fact not unusual. Bottom line: Don't mulch deep and don't use it near buildings.

Texas, too, had tons of wood in Hurricaned regions. They too were infested with Formosan termites.

The concern about Formosan termites in damaged trees is a legitimate one. The possibility that they could be spread around the country is also a concern.  But do you know what they do to make mulch?  Can you imagine grinding up wood that much and a bug surviving?

As far as the mulch, simply heating the bag to 120 degrees F will kill all life within.

Some experts maintain that there's a bigger threat from recycling railroad ties.

These are treated with creosote and sold all over the South to landscapers.  The freaky Formosan termites find untreated sections and that is actually a problem. Texas is quarantining railroad ties in response.  

The full entomological report is posted at Cornell University Cooperative Extension (www.gardening.cornell.edu/pests/formosantermites.html).