As the temperatures finally begin to drop many homeowners’ thoughts turn to landscaping. Whether we don the gloves and dive in or grab a pencil and start the planning stage, one very important factor to consider are the materials to be used for borders or retaining walls.
One popular material, the railroad tie, has been attributed with introducing Formosan Termites, a very aggressive and destructive pest, into our neighborhoods.
When the railroad periodically replaces ties the old ones are loaded onto flat bed trucks and shipped to home improvement stores and nurseries for resale. Many homeowners using railroad ties have unintentionally invited Formosan Termites to dine, on their home.
Because Formosan colonies can number in the millions, and foraging is in excess of 300 feet from the nest, a homeowner can be affected by their neighbors’ landscape choices. Be a good neighbor and spread the word that a much better material choice for edging would be brick or landscape timbers.
