Termites

Are These Termites or Ants?

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</style><div class="cindybgcolor"><figure class="image"><drupal-media data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="9343a5dd-6b14-4e1f-a18e-ceefd4eadbed">&nbsp;</drupal-media><figcaption>&nbsp;</figcaption></figure></div><p>You’ve found large numbers of insects flying about the house, or perhaps you have noticed an accumulation of dead insects on the floor or on a windowsill.&nbsp;Are these termite swarmers or ants?&nbsp;This is an important question.&nbsp; f they are termite swarmers, it means the building is infested with termites and needs to be professionally treated.&nbsp;Depending on the size of the building, that’s going to cost around a thousand dollars or more.&nbsp;If they are ants, some type of treatment may still be needed, but you may be able to do it yourself, and even if you hire a pest control company, it won’t be nearly as costly.</p><p>So how do you distinguish termite swarmers from ant swarmers?&nbsp;This is really pretty easy, but it can help to have some type of magnifying glass or hand lens.&nbsp;This figure shows the three key characteristics to look for:&nbsp;</p><div class="cindybgcolor"><figure class="image"><drupal-media data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="30aa34a6-ad69-459f-9f05-782cc5887072">&nbsp;</drupal-media><figcaption>&nbsp;</figcaption></figure></div><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="text-align-center">How to Distinguish Termite Swarmers from Ant Swarmers</h2><table class="table" style="width:90%;" align="center" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:rgb(204, 204, 204);width:28%;" colspan="2"><h3 class="text-align-center"><strong>Trait</strong></h3></td><td style="background-color:rgb(204, 204, 204);width:28%;"><h3 class="text-align-center"><strong>Termites</strong></h3></td><td style="background-color:rgb(204, 204, 204);width:28%;"><h3 class="text-align-center"><strong>Ants</strong></h3></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;" colspan="2"><strong>Wings</strong></td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;"><p>Front wings and hind wings equal in length</p><p>Wings about twice as long as body</p><p>(Wings may be missing.)</p></td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;"><p>Front wings notably longer than hind wings</p><p>(Wings may be missing)</p></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;" colspan="2"><strong>Antennae</strong></td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;">Antennae straight and beadlike</td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;">Antennae have a distinct elbow or angle</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;" colspan="2"><strong>“Waist”</strong></td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;">No waist, abdomen broadly joined to thorax</td><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;">Narrow waist, abdomen narrowly joined to thorax</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;width:28%;" colspan="4"><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><ol><li>Termites and ants both shed their wings shortly after swarming, so wings are not always present on swarmers. (Ant workers never have wings.)</li><li>Eastern subterranean termite swarmers are black; Formosan termite swarmers are tan to light brown. Ant swarmers also vary in color, ranging from light tan to black, depending on species.</li></ol></td></tr></tbody></table><h3><br>Compare the following pictures of termite swarmers to those of ant swarmers.</h3><p>Hover and then click on the left or right arrows to progress through the slide show.</p><div>[view:slide_show_view=inlinemanual=termite_or_ants_slide]</div><hr width="85%"><p class="rteindent1"><em>Dr. Blake Layton, Extension Entomology Specialist</em><br><em>Department of Entomology, Mississippi State University</em><br><em>Phone: 662-325-2960</em><br><em>Email: </em><a href="mailto:blake.layton@msstate.edu"><em>blake.layton@msstate.edu</em></a><…;