What Does a Termite Look Like?
78Are those termites or ants swarming around your foundation? What does a termite look like?! Look closely at the little buggers to see the distinctive characteristics.
With 41 species of termites in the USA, no matter where you live (with the exception of Alaska) there is a good chance that you have termites as close neighbors.
Termites eat wood and bore tiny tunnels into wood as they consume it. While they are unwelcome guests in your house their ecological niche in the forest helps them recycle wood for the soil.
Termites can live up to 15 years. Because termites mostly live under ground you are most likely to see termites when they are swarming. The swarm occurs when the bugs are in the process of establishing a new colony when they will send out winged scouts to find their new site.
What Does a Termite Look Like: Identifying Termite Features
To distinguish termites from ants: look at body shape, legs, color and antennae.
A termite’s body: straight segmented body (a termite has a “thick”
waist), straight antennae, and six short legs. The termite looks like
it has only two body segments, the head and the thorax.
Ants have six longer legs and have a distinctive narrow waist. They
appear to have three body segments, head, thorax and abdomen and
elbowed antennae.
A termites and ants may or may not have wings depending on the stage of
development. The termite’s appearance changes with lifecycle stage.
Termites are soft bodied insects and tend to be light in color, some
almost semi-translucent. Ants, on the other hand, have hard
exoskeletons and tend to be darker.
A Note About Flying Termites
In the winged stage both the ant and the termite will have two sets of wings. The termite’s front and rear wings are about the same size.
The front wing set of the ant will be noticeably larger than the rear set and the ant’s rear wings may not even be visible.
Social Organization
Both ant and termite colonies have social organization. Termite colonies are made up of a reproducing queen, kings (the reproductive males) soldiers and workers. While size depends on species, termites tend to be very small. While he queen can be over an inch long and up to ½” wide during egg production, the kings and soldiers are smaller, measuring up to 3/8”. Most workers are smaller still starting at about 1/4”.
Termite Treatment Delhi 2 years ago
The kind of termite that people see most often is a flying termite. They look a lot like ants - you see them swarming around in a big cloud, and they will crawl towards light sources, often entering your home through windows or cracks.