Will hugelkultur attract termites and mosquitos?

I excitedly told my gardening friend about my hugelkultur plan. She shot it down right away saying that wet wood underground will attract termites which can destroy our own houses, and also mosquitoes but I don't remember how. Now I'm a bit worried about termites, though not mosquitoes because we get them a lot anyway.

He leaves and twigs I've put in the ground are Australian bottlebrush leaves, which are very tough and dry and so don't biodegrade easily at all- they can stay in the same shape for years if left on the top of the ground.

Hi Tim, I do believe the hugelkulturs will eventually be discovered by termites. I'm not sure to what extent the buried wood will "attract" termites, as in baiting them, but I do think sooner or later they will stumble across the hugels and move in. How close to your home do you plan on building your hugels? I myself garden in raised beds and they're all in contact with the soil, and I have found termite damage in a couple of them, which I kinda figured would be inevitable, but that is in my older beds going on 6 or 7 years old now. The perimeter of my garden is about 100ft from my house and so far I have no evidence of them around or in my home. I'm unsure of how a hugel mound would attract mosquitos, and like you I have a healthy mosquito population around also.

It seems to me that if you live somewhere termites live, they will find the wood sooner or later.  We don't have termites here to any degree so it isn't an issue.

I can't think of any reason there would be any connection between mosquitoes and hugel beds.  I haven't seen it with mine.  I only have two, one finished and one being built and neither have a mosquito problem.

Bryant RedHawk has mentioned termites and Hugels. If I remember right, as I was about to try my first one, that there are about 30 varieties of termites and you're bound to get one type in there. Space it farther than 30' from the house, fence or other freestanding wood things and you should be okay, if I remember right...!

Just put your hugel far from your house. He also (as bad memory of mine would dredge up) said that birds may go after them so they will clean up hugel based colonies for you.

We had another First Nations poster around when I tried my first one, Navaho Nation member I believe, and I can't remember their name (I have lapped the night and unfortunately am under the influence of doctor prescribed substances for health symptom management-my totally last resort, btw) and can't find the references. For this I offer major apology.

I live in a tropical area, my closest hugel is 8 meters from my house. I have some termites at my house but it don't get worse after I build the hugels 3  years ago. The termite are so few and they are there previolusly to the hugels. They're not a serious problem to me.

TErmites are everywhere. Just keep a strip around your house bare of plants I would say a meter or so.