Whats the difference between a termite and a flying ant

Although termites and flying ants are two distinct insect species, they might be easily confused when they have contaminated your home. When in their natural settings, each of the insects serves a purpose and has a positive effect on their relevant ecosystems. When they move inside your home or garden, though, you might soon develop a serious problem. When termites and flying ants sneak in your residence, they can do severe damage.

You'll be better able to defend yourself against the specific risks that these two insects bring if you understand the differences between them and follow required termite treatment.

Termites with wings

Termites are pests that are drawn to wood as a food source, particularly rotting wood. Their nutrition, however, is more diverse than most people realize. Termites are mostly interested in cellulose. Cellulose is abundant in many different plants, yet only a few animals on the planet can break it down. Termites are an example of such organisms. They contain cellulose, which requires an enzyme to break down into a useful form.

Termites, according to some scientists, provide an environmental benefit in that they lessen the risk of forest fires. Termites eat the rotting wood of fallen trees, reducing the amount of fuel necessary for fires. Termites help to enhanced oxygen flow by cleaning such material from the forest floor.

Flying ants

Ants are nature's cleanup crew, devouring organic detritus, dead insects, dead animals, and other things that litter the forest floor, contributing to the decomposition process. Burrowing ants aid in the turning of the soil and the creation of fertile topsoil. Ants can be a constructive force for the ecology when left to their own devices in their native habitats.

Because many kinds of ants have wings when mating, flying ants are a little more difficult to deal with than termites. Not only will you have to find out whether you're dealing with termites or ants, but you'll also have to figure out which ant species you'll have to fight. Once you've confirmed that you have an ant swarm in your house, you may begin the ant treatment process.

Termites vs. Flying Ants: How to Tell the Difference

When you understand the differences between termites and flying ants, identifying the two may be very simple. You may not be able to identify which one is swarming from afar, but closely, you will find the difference.

Termites and flying ants have distinct physical traits that can be distinguished by someone who understands what to look for. Even though termites are comparable in size to several ant species, they show distinct traits when seen up close. The wings of a termite are usually longer than its body and have rounded ends. On both sides of their body, their wings are of identical length. Termites have a straight antennae and do not have a pinched waist. When termites are mating, you won't observe termites without wings mixed with termites with wings.

The wings of a flying ant are unequal in length and more pointed at the ends. Flying ants also have the pinched waist like all ants, as well as an elbowed antennae that are not straight. When flying ants swarm, it's common to see wingless ants in the midst of the swarm. Carpenter ants mostly mistook for termites because they live within dwellings and inflict damage that is comparable to that caused by termites.

If you find a swarm inside, you should engage a professional pest control company to identify the insect and devise a plan to eliminate the threat and prevent future incursions.

The best method to deal with ants or any other pests or for termite treatment that can infiltrate your home is to take preventative measures to keep them out in the first place. Keeping your house clean, correcting water leaks, closing cracks, securely storing all food sources, and cutting any landscape plants from the your property can all help keep pests out. You'll be better prepared to safeguard your house and family now that you know how to distinguish between termites and flying ants. If you fail to handle it on your own call Mother Nature Pest and Lawn.

Flying termites and flying ants do two very different things: while ants with wings are basically just airborne irritants, termites with wings (also known as termite swarmers) are an early warning sign that a termite colony is scouting your home as a possible feasting ground. What does it matter? Well, when you first spot one of these flying insects, it can be hard to tell the two apart, and knowing what you’re dealing with can be the difference between panic (flying termite) or annoyance (flying ant). That’s why we’ve put together a little exercise to help you identify the two!

Set One

Alright, let’s see if you can spot the difference between this:

("Flying Termites" by Derek Keats is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

And this:

Set Two 

Notice some differences? Let’s try a few more:

("Winged termite" by Bernard DUPONT is liscensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

And:

Set Three

Finally, this:

("Termites Shedding Wings" by Discott is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

And this:

So, what did you notice? Take a second to go back and look carefully at each of the 3 sets of photos to make sure you didn’t miss anything! We’ll wait. 

……..

……..

……..

Ok, ready? Here’s what you should’ve seen: 

In all three sets of pictures, we had flying termites as the first image, and flying ants as the second, and each set illustrated a specific difference between the 2.

In set one, you can see that flying termites have 4 wings all of equal length, while flying ants have 2 sets of wings (front and back) that are different lengths. 

In set two, notice that the antennae are subtly different--but different nonetheless. Flying termites have straight antennae, while flying ants have slightly elbowed antennae. 

In set three the focus was on the waists. Flying termites have straight waists while flying ants have bent waists. 

Were you able to spot all of the differences? Don’t worry if you didn’t, some of them were a little tricky! Let’s quickly summarize what we learned about the differences between winged termites and winged ants. Winged termites have: 

• 4 equal-sized wings
• Straight antenna
• Straight waists 

Winged ants have: 

• Wings of unequal length 
• Slightly elbowed antennae 
• Bent waists 

Do you think you’ve identified termite swarmers in your home? Dixon Pest Services offers comprehensive termite solutions that will wipe the floor (and wall) with any termite invaders so that you can rest easy knowing your home is termite-free! 

Want to learn more about termites? Read our blog post on the notorious “super termite”!

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