Termite Versus Flying Ants

Termite or Flying Ants: How do you tell the difference? How to get rid of flying ants. What attracts flying ants.

Flying Ants or Termites – Which to Watch Out For? There are many reasons why you may want to know whether the flying insects you’re dealing with are termites or ants. For example, you might wonder which of these insects causes more damage to your home, what their symptoms are, and how do their bites affect us. Let us explore this issue further in detail.

Flying termites, also called termite swarmers or flying ants, are winged reproductive forms of the Subterranean Termite or “Rhinotermitidae” family. In an interesting turn of events, many homeowners — especially those in the southern states and in warmer mountain regions — call these pests flying ants.Real flying termites are called alates, and they are typically a copper brown color.  Alates do most of the work of reproducing and building new colonies. Hawaiian termite alates are probably the best known for leaving their home colony for mating purposes.

In the warm summer months, you’ll hear them buzzing by your ears. You’ll see them zipping through your kitchen like a tiny spaceship. What are these little black flying creatures with 6 stingers? They’re African flying ants or “Siafu” in Africa or flying termites in Australia. They’re also commonly known as driver ants in South America. While there are many different species of flying ants and termites that vary in size, the biggest can be up to 3/4 of an inch long. They’re impressively strong, too, having been recorded carrying more than 20 times their own weight!

Termite Versus Flying Ants

Introduction

If you are seeing flying insects that look like ants in your home, they might actually be termites. Because termites and flying ants can look similar, it’s important to know how to tell the difference. While both insects live in colonies and eat wood, their wings are different sizes and shapes, making them easy to identify. Read on for a guide on how to tell the difference between these two pests so you can keep your home safe from damage from these creatures.

The Difference

• The main difference between termites and flying ants is that termites have a segmented body while flying ants have a smooth body.
• Termites are generally larger than flying ants.
• Termites have a broad head and long antennae, while flying ants have narrow heads with short antennae.
• Flying ants only have wings, but no other means for dispersal (i.e., they don’t walk).

How to Identify

If you want to properly identify termites versus flying ants, you’ll need to know the following:

• Termites are larger than ants. The average ant is 2mm in length, while termites can range from 5mm to 20mm in length.
• Termite antennae are straight, while flying ant antennae have a slight curve (the exception being the workers of some species).
• Termite wings point directly back over their bodies when at rest or in flight, while flying ant wings angle outward slightly at rest and fold close against their bodies when they land on surfaces or climb up walls.
• Termite abdomen segments overlap one another as they move forward, giving them a long and thin appearance from above; flying ant abdomens do not overlap one another during movement so they appear broad from above with short appendages extending beyond each segment like stilts.[4]

Where they are found

Termites and flying ants are both insects, but they are not the same. While termites live in colonies in soil and flying ants build their homes in the ground, both pests can be found inside the walls of your house if left unchecked. Termites are long, worm-like insects that consume wood for food by chewing through it with their hard jaws. They belong to the order Isoptera and have three pairs of legs each; these legs have hardened tips so they can walk on rough surfaces like concrete without damaging themselves. Flying ants have four wings that allow them to fly from tree branches or bushes to feed on flowers or lay eggs in soil; they belong to the order Hymenoptera along with bees and wasps.

Flying ant infestations usually occur when there’s been too much rain over an extended period of time–which is why you may see an increase in these pests during summer months when we get heavy rainfall throughout North America! Because these little guys love moisture (and sometimes even swimming pools), they’re especially attracted

What they eat

Termites and flying ants are two types of insects with very different feeding habits, but they’re often mistaken for one another. However, you can use their dietary preferences to tell them apart.

Termites eat wood—not just any kind of wood, but specific types depending on the species. Typically, termites prefer softer woods like pines and other conifers. If a termite does happen to nibble on harder woods like oak or mahogany (which is extremely rare), it’s likely because that’s all there is available at the time.

Flying ants feed primarily on nectar from flowers; however, they will also consume honeydew from aphids and sap from trees if there isn’t any nearby blooms for them to feast on during certain times of year when flowering plants aren’t in bloom yet (such as during winter).

Signs of an Infestation

If you see flying ants in your home, there’s a good chance they’re just the result of an active ant colony or one that has recently died. Ants are most active during the summer months and tend to enter homes through open windows or doors. Flying ants can also be brought into a home on clothing, bags and other items after being outside.

If you have termites in your home, it’s important not to ignore them. While flying ants will occasionally wreak havoc on your kitchen cabinets and furniture (particularly wooden items), termites will have a more destructive impact on your property: they chew through wood as they eat it—a process called “bioturbation” that breaks down timber over time without leaving any visible signs of damage at first glance! Termites also cause structural damage by creating tunnels underground where moisture accumulates from their tunneling activities; this leads to rot underneath floors which can eventually lead up above ground level too! In addition to this physical damage caused by chewing away at wood and creating moldy conditions within walls/floors themselves due to leaking water pipes etc., there are also health implications associated with living near an established colony because people often inhale carbon dioxide produced by these colonies when breathing indoors (which causes symptoms such as nausea). Finally there’s financial implications involved as well because infested buildings need regular treatments every few months until eradicated completely – which can become very costly if left unattended for too long…

While termites and flying ants can look similar, these two insects have very distinct features that can help you tell them apart.

• Antennae: Termites have straight antennae, while flying ants have bent antennae.
• Wings: The wings of flying ants are longer than their bodies and extend beyond their abdomen, while the wings of termites are shorter than their bodies.
• Waist: Flying ants have an obvious constriction between the thorax and abdomen, while termites do not have a visible gap at this point on their bodies.
• Abdomen: Termite abdomens are soft and segmented like those of other insects, while flying ant abdomens are hard and composed of a single piece that looks like a football or bullet shape when viewed from above or below (that is, with the head end up).

Conclusion

We hope this summary has helped you figure out the difference between termites and flying ants. Both of these insects can invade your home and cause costly damage, so it’s best to know how to identify them before they become a problem. If you suspect that you have a termite or ant infestation, contact Western Exterminator today for free inspection.