Difference Between Ants and Termites

Can you tell them apart?

Flying Ant swarmers and Subterranean Termites swarmers look similar but are very different. They are as different as, horses and cows, but they are so small you have to look close to see the difference.

Getting rid of Ants requires a completely different treatment than the treatments we use to get rid of Termites. So take a look at the differences between these pests below. This little tip can save you money.

Everybody has seen ants. They show up nearly everywhere outside. Ants nest under stones, logs, firewood, in trees, plants and concrete slabs. There are many different species of ants. Acrobat ants, Argentine ants, Carpenter ants, Crazy ants, Fire ants, Little Black ants, Odorous House ants, Pavement ants, Pharaoh ants, Thief ants, Large Yellow ants, White Footed ants, just to name a few of the most common ones.

We see Ants crawling on the ground, most of us have stooped down and studied ants, watching them hurry along, busy gathering food, so we know what they look like. But Sub-terranean termites are subterranean creatures and susceptible to the suns ultraviolet rays so they almost never expose themselves to view.

In the picture above you'll see a winged ant on the left and a winged termite on the right. They are generally the same size, have 6 legs each and two antenna and four wings, but study the picture closely and you will see differences. Here is a list of the most obvious differences.

1. Pay close attention to the waist of both the ant and the termite. The ant has a pinched or narrow waist and the termite doesn't.
2. Antenna for Ants are elbowed, termites have straight antenna.
3. Each have four wings, two pairs, all four termite wings are the same shape and size, each pair of ant wings are a different length..
4. The Ant swarmer and the Termite Swarmer are similar colors.

1. When you find swarming termites you usually see hundreds. With ant you may only have a few.
2. If you can not identify the bug you catch show it to your Exterminator.
3. Collect and save what you find in a zip lock bag and be careful not to squish it.