Although the termites don’t feed in the mulch, they can build a colony in it.
Mulch is a layer on the surface of the soil that helps to conserve the moisture and make the soil more fertile. Cypress is one of the cheaper mulch; it does conserve moisture and prevents weed from growing. Using heartwood makes the cypress mulch termite-free and termite-resistant but make sure that the mulch doesn’t contain sapwood because it is preferred by termites and other worms.
The ingredients of the mulch doesn’t attract termites, but mulch is generally spread over a few inches ground, which makes the place more favourable for termites and pests.
Some mulch, such as cypress, have a resin that makes the wood less attractive to the pests and termites.Mulch is used in the gardens to keep them moist and fertile. There is much evidence available that the pests and termites are attracted to the moist and damp areas. The moist soil makes the perfect place for pests and termites to dig holes and reside in them and provides them an easy opportunity for the termites to look for their food(wood) Though the termites don’t eat or survive on mulch, it provides a more favourable environment for them to live and search for food. The termites can build a colony and eventually attack your house and cause severe damage.
It is not necessarily true that all mulch attract termites; there is special mulch available in the market that may not be so attractive to the termites. Some contain resins that the termites don’t like very much. While many of the mulch provides a favourable place for the termites to breed on, some mulch that is not so favourable to termites is listed below.
Melaleuca mulch is a termite-resistant mulch - it repels most of the insects and pests and isn't a good place for the termites to breed and grow on. The termites also hate the melaleuca mulch and don’t like under or below the melaleuca tree.
Inorganic mulch doesn’t contain anything that is suitable for the termites to grow on. Cypress trees are termite-resistant trees.