Black colored mulch

[Tumbleweed]

A couple months ago I decided to do a little landscaping in a very tiny area that is facing the alley and is just a 4x4 foot area on the side of my garage along a fence line.

I bought some plants and decided to try "the look" of black color mulch.
Once the plants were in I opened the bag of mulch and dug in with my bare hands, throwing the mulch around the plants.



After a few handfuls I realized there were thousands of tiny, tiny white bugs (not seen in the above picture) crawling around. Eeewww. Now normally I'm not a freak when it comes to a bug. (Unless it is a cockroach and then I turn into a derange mad women all ready to move due to the one sighting. I am so grateful I've not seen one in this house!) Although some bugs can be really ugly and creepy, I can handle one or two here and there but when there are masses it does freak me a bit. These bugs were tiny. Not much bigger than a dot from a pencil and there were masses of them crawling around. (A shutter went up my spine just now thinking of it...yuk.)

I figured it was probably some sort of little bug that loves decaying matter so I just took a deep breath and finished mulching the plants.

Shortly after...within minutes I noticed a rash on my arm. I can't attribute it to the little bugs but other than just wash my arms thoroughly I decided I should use use my special poison ivy lotion, just in case. The rash was nearly gone by the end of the next day.

I still have one bag of that mulch and I'm hesitant to use it. I called Home Depot, where I purchased it, with hopes I could find out if they are harmless or something I should be worried about. I talked to an employee who knew nothing about the bug but said I could return the bag if I wanted and he also was happy to recommend getting some bug killer. Not a route I want to go at all. I told him I was more curious about the bug than I was interested in returning the bag and he basically said he didn't think they could help in that respect.

So on-line I came searching all over for some hint of what that tiny little bug might be. No luck. But after viewing hundred of different very creepy bugs I do feel I need to get in the shower immediately. So I am posting it here in hopes someone may come along and know exactly what it is. I could take a sample in to my local county extension agency but I bug them too much, no pun intended, and want to only bother them with my questions if it is REALLY important.

If I were really brave, I could open up the other bag and try to get a picture of them but I'm not feeling that brave right now and besides, they are so tiny I doubt my camera could capture them well.

So anyone have any ideas?

[aRMY83]

Hello Tumbleweed....

I'm not much of a expert on this subject, however, if you have not, you may want to take a look at this: (near botton of page)

Problems > Mulch Toxicity

Also, you may want to go to your local garden store(s) with a sample, I know, no touchie BUGS, but ya just need one of these critters and explain to them what's going on. Anyways, just my bit of information here.

[Tumbleweed]

What a great article. I bookmarked it so I can reread it in it's entirety as just now, I skipped down to the bit about toxicity. I'm certain it wasn't sour. It smelled wonderful like good decaying wood chips should. The plants are doing wonderful in that area and according to that article it may affect the plants almost immediately.

I still have that extra bag unopened which probably isn't good since it may just turn sour on me. I can't decide what I want to do about it. I may call the store again to try to get someone who knows a little more than the person I talked to prior. Or I just may dump it in a spot I don't care about and call it a day. But gosh, I want to know what those bugs are. I don't care about getting my money back or returning it for a "good" bag. I want that bugs name!

I'm so glad you directed me to that article. I didn't really know about mulch going sour. I did know if you don't turn it properly it can mold but I really didn't know the repercussions of using bad mulch.

[aRMY83]

Glad you liked that article and even I was amazed to all the information listed. I have in the past, bought some mulch that was not the best, but what was not needed, I as you, used it in the rear part of the yard. As (darn butterflies) in trying to see what I'm typing and NO! don't remove them, looks good if I may add. Now where was I, oh yeah.... not to worry as those little tiny bugs could be anything and by the way, how's that rash on the arm doing? Hope you don't need us here to call for a ambulance. j/k

Anyways, hope everything works out for you.

[Tumbleweed]

The rash was totally gone by the end of the next day so no ER for me.

And that article does have a lot of info. Mulch was just not something I really did any research on so I learned a lot.

Yes, those butterflies even get to me and I find myself cussing at them every once in a while. But they are pretty appropriate for this board so I'll let them be. I do ask you keep your fly-swatter far from your computer, just in case you have an urge.

[aRMY83]

Aug 20, 2010 9:51:28 GMT -6 Tumbleweed said:

i do ask you keep your fly-swatter far from your computer, just in case you have an urge.

As you so wish ...

Ut Oh, here comes that neighbor of ours....

[Tumbleweed]

Well, at least the neighbor means no harm....I hope.

[misty]

talking about mulch & toxicity, please steer away from that cocoa mulch that everyone seems to love these days. It really does have cocoa in it & can kill any dogs that might sample it.

[Tumbleweed]

I've never heard of cocoa mulch. Wow! You don't know how bad I'd like to smack some people that feed their dogs chocolate. I'm just glad they didn't have that on stock where I was or may have bought it for something different. Thanks Misty.

[aRMY83]

@ Tumbleweed....

Cocoa Mulch

I got to run ladies....

[Tumbleweed]

So there is some truth to it but I'm glad to hear there aren't masses of deaths because of it. At first I thought this may disprove it when I saw you linked to Snoops.

I noticed it mentioned how much milk chocolate it would take to make a dog sick. It takes quite a bit but even so, why feed them something that is obviously not good for them. If Dad gives Lassie a chocolate bar, Bobby Jr. gives, Lassie a chocolate bar and Mom does too, then you may see a dead dog or at the very least a very sick doggie.

[barb]

Tumbleweed, about the bugs...

Do take a sample in to your county extension. We currently have a burn it where you get it policy being enforced in WNY. That simply means you can't import firewood. You need to get it in the area where you will be burning it because there is a bug that kills ash trees and its being spread by people bringing infected wood into the area from elsewhere. They don't necessarily see the bugs so they can't just choose wood that is bug free.

Those tiny white bugs could be any number of things from harmless to much more harmful than you realize.

Enough of the lecturing. LOL I really love the look you achieved with the black mulch.

[Tumbleweed]

Well, I've left the other bag of it sitting by the garage since I bought it, unopened, so not sure if the bugs survived or not. I could see if the bugs are still in the mulch around the plants. But what a pain to take a sample in.

You are right. I shouldn't just dump it somewhere and hope it isn't a harmful bug. I need to find out what it is. Thank you for nudging me to do the right thing Barb.