Difference Between Ants & Termites

Difference Between Ants & Termites

Drawing - a courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

This can be a very troublesome question. Some of the flying winged ants can resemble the winged-swarming termite.

Here are some ways do identify the difference between the physical resemblance.

• While both species have four wings, termite wings are all the same size and the ant wings have noticeably larger wings in the front as compared to the hind pair.
• 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.

There are three major groups of termites which occur in the United States: dry wood, subterranean and Formosan. Termites are identified by the appearance of the swarmers , their damage, and the droppings they leave behind.

The two most common types of termites are "dry wood" and "ground" or subterranean termites. Subterranean termites cause about 95% of the termite-related damage found in the United States. Both types of termites eat cellulose for nutrition. Cellulose is found in wood and wood products.

Dry wood termites restrict their attack of wood structures to a narrow geographic band that extends from Florida to California . Damp wood termites are common to the Pacific Northwest.

Termites are the major wood-destroying structural pests in the southern United States. According to some estimates, over $2 billion are spent annually controlling or preventing termite infestations.

The advent of centrally heated homes has made it possible for termites to become a threat in virtually every region and state in the U.S. On the average, there could be as many as 13 to 14 subterranean termite colonies per acre, which means that a typical home may easily have three to four colonies situated under or around it. And because there can be as many as 1,000,000 subterranean termites per colony, the threat of infestation becomes a very real one indeed.

Termites have been able to survive for over 250 million years. Because of the highly structured nature of the colonies, termites are able to more efficiently adapt to changing environments.

Your home is naturally close to termite colonies. Foundations are usually built above the water table, and below the frost line, near where termites live.

Termites don't distinguish between the wood in your home and the wood in the forest to feed their nutritional needs.

Termites can not digest the wood directly. The protozoans that live in their guts break down the cellulose into simpler compounds for the termites to absorb.

Concrete slab and basement foundations are some of the most susceptible types of construction. Termites only need a crack of one-sixty-fourth inch in the slab floor to gain entrance into your home.

Termites are able to travel up to 130 feet from the colony -- and once they discover a food source, they leave a "chemical trail" for others to follow.

Termites work 24 hours a day. "Worker" termites bring food to the colony through tunnels, without ever resting.

Termites need moisture to survive and will die if exposed to sunlight or open air. Their tunnels protect them from the elements. High moisture areas like basements and crawl spaces are very attractive to them and can serve as starting points for infestation. Once in, termites can infest virtually any part of your home -- wood trim, siding, wallboard, even picture frames.