Other
Pests : (Includes: Carpenter Bees, Centipedes,
Crickets, Clothes Moths ,Clover Mites, Cluster flies, Lady
Bugs, Flies, Earwigs, Gophers, Hornets, Brown Recluse spiders,
Black Widow Spiders, Fabric Pests, Silverfish, Firebrats,
Scorpions, Pantry Pests, Millipedes, Moths, Moles, Powder
Post Beetles, Ticks, Yellow Jackets)
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANTS AND TERMITES
ANT AND TERMITE SWARMERS
Click on image to enlarge
Drawing- a courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute
of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Do
I have ants or termites ? This can be a very troublesome question.
Some of the flying winged ants can resemble the winged-swarming termite.
The swarming of small, dark insects near or inside a building
may worry people who believe their home is infested by termites.
There is a difference between ant and termite reproductives(swarmers).
Termites go through a gradual metamorphosis
Termites go through the egg, nymph and adult stages.
Nymphs look like adult workers. Reproductives are dark-bodied.
Ants will go from a egg, to a larvae, then pupa and
finally to the adult stage in what is called complete metamorphosis.
The adult ant worker is an adult and looks like an adult ant.
Here are some
ways do identify the difference between the physical resemblance.
Carpenter ant queen
Subterrearean Termite
While both species
have four wings, the termite wings are all the same size and the ant
wings have noticeably larger wings in the front as compared to the hind
pair. Ant reproductives (swarmers)have two pairs of wings.Often ants
have a black dot near the tip of the front wings, and dark wing veins
can be seen. You can't see termite wing veins with the naked eye. Ant wings do not break off easily. Termite
wings break off easily, with just a touch. You may see the broken wings
from the swarming termites in a area they have been crawling.
Termites have
an almost straight antennae, the ants antennae are elbowed.
Termite wings
are twice as long as the body.
Ants appear distinctly
segmented, because of their thin-waisted appearance. Termites have a
broad-waisted appearance.Termite waists are not narrow.Termite bodies
are straight-sided with no constriction.
CARPENTER
ANTS:
Carpenter ants are
black or brown and measure up to 1" in length. They are often confused
with termites. Unlike termites they have pinched waists and elbowed antennae.
Termites have straight bodies and antennae. As with termites, there is
a winged version too.
Carpenter ants can
do significant structural damage, but are more a nuisance than a structural
problem.
Investigation:
There are several
ways to recognize a carpenter ant infestation:
Swarmers: Winged
form of the carpenter ant in a great number
Sawdust: If you
see sawdust(frass) raining from your ceiling or from any indoor cracks.
If you see more
than 10 ants a day in any room other than the kitchen.
If you see ants
in your home and the ground outside is frozen.
Crunching Noise:
If you hear munching, rustling or crunching noise coming from within
a window sill, wall or ceiling.
For further information
on carpenter ants go to: Carpenter
Ants
