What do Termites Look Like?
73Termite Identification Tips
Termites can cause significant damage to homes and property, so it is important to know what termites look like so you are able to identify termites quickly.
So what does a termite look like? Termites can range from 1/16 to 1/2 inch in length. They are soft-bodied insects. Most species of termites are subterranean and spend their lifetime within the soil, shelter tubes they build or wood in which they feed.
Interestingly, termites have no eyes, so they do everything by feel and scent! (crazy huh?)
What Termite Workers Look Like
Worker termites are the most common and responsible for most of the damage termites cause. They are the ones out foraging for food and building the termites tunnels. They are often called white ants, since they tend to look very similar to ants. They are small in size with soft bodies and white in color.
What Termite Soldiers Look Like
Soldier termites have the responsibility of defending and protecting the colony. They look much like worker termites but they have larger heads and have mandibles for defense.
The termite soldier pictured is a subterranean termite soldier.
What Termite Queens and Kings Look Like
The largest termite in the colony is the queen termite. She has an elongated white body, the reproductive section, with a smaller dark head section. Honestly, she is one ugly critter.
The king termite looks like a dark version of worker
termites, but is several times larger. In the case of the Dampwood termites, the difference in size between king and queen termites isn't as great.
Couple things to note about king and queen termites: They mate for life, so the king termite sticks around the whole time. Also, there can be multiple kings/queens in a given colony. Each queen is capable of laying thousands of eggs. If you do the math, it really explains why a termite problem can turn bad so quickly. If you get several kings and queens working together, these little buggers will multiply like crazy.
What Termite Swarmers Look Like
Termite "swarmers" are newly hatched queen and king termites. They are winged and are sent out to start new colonies.
While termite colonies may normally go undetected, swarmers are obvious signs that you have a termite problem. Be on the lookout for their emergence from an already established colony around your house, or for piles of wings that get left when the burrow and start new colonies.
Swarmers tend to be attracted to light. If they emerge at night, they might swarm around some of your lights. You can also find them in spider webs around light sources.
Be on the Look Out!
So now that you know what termites look like, be on the lookout and deal with the problem quickly when you spot any signs of termites or termite damage.
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termites are discusting and grossew!ew!ew!ew!EW!EW!EW!EW!EW!EW!EW!EW!EW~YUCK!YUCKYUCK!YUCK
I have tiny little flies that look like fruit flies (slightly larger). When I caught one I looked close and it had white spots or stripes. Also see some in the carpet but they're smaller and don't fly. What are they?
We aren't sure if we have winged ants or termites, found them at the bottom of a pot we were re-potting, it looked like they were carrying white eggs in their mouths? It was a huge swarm, they were very tiny though.
Do termites throw up?
I too am not sure whether we have winged ants or termites. They are falling from the cracks of our tongue and groove ceiling. Most are dead or act like it's ready to die, but occasionally one appears alive. They don't seem to be able to fly, and have much shorter wings than most pictures I've seen of termites.
How do I tell for sure, and what do you recommend for getting rid of them? Thanks for your advice.
dvwhite@hotmail.com
The antenna are straight on termites and elbows on ants.
Wings on termites are both the same length but on ants the front wings are longer.
How sweet that termites mate for life!
they bite me
Hate the clicking sound they make while eating through wood. Had to throw away a cupboard due to that. All my clothes are on the bed until the new Cupboard gets made.
:(
I just discover termites living in my home and I would just like to know how to get rid of them. It's like I can hear them while I sleep. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow is that all they have
I see tiny, tiny little bugs that are crawling on the front of my computer screen, the top of my desk and on books and magazines and sometimes on my body. They are really tiny and kind of whiteish looking with wings. Could these be termites? Termites were found at my home early this year and I did have them spray.
^Marilyn
Those can be termites, because when people do come to spray it doesnt completly kill them all
Do something quickly!
i am facing a $60,000 repair bill to giant subterranean white ant infestation that were chewing on my property from the inside!
Nothing was noticed until the rooof fell in!
OOHH OUCH Kathy! that reminds me of when part of the ceiling in the dining room of my parents old house fell in but that was due to water damage thank god! Speaking of funky looking bugs, when i was in my kitchen the other day i found these little brown bugs (no wings) on my counter top. i squished them all but then a few hours later i seen them again. so i pulled my little section of counter and drawers away from the wall and found a bunch more of the little wingless buggers on the floor under that section of counter and seen a few piles of wood dust there also. they dont look like termites but any one i as has no idea what the freak they are and they look at me like im stupid lol. i also keep my potatos in one of the drawers in that counter/drawer set but ive seen potato bugs before and they dont look like the bugs i see on the counter and the floor under it. any help or picture or some sort of description of what ever they might be would really really be helpful. i live in an apartment complex and the exterminator guy i tell him and show him what ive seen and all he does is set these stupid little glue sticky traps! sometimes i wonder what he does with the stuff they use to extermintate! if hes huffing the stuff that would explain alot of things! but if some one could explain to
sorry i hit the enter button on accident. but in regards to my previous post, if some one could please explain to me what those funky bugs are (as described in my previous post) that would be great! my email is fade2black18420@yahoo.com and any tips on how to get rid of those little buggers would be greatly appreciated!
eovery 3 years ago
I keep some wood around for emergency heat for my fireplace that I do no use very often, and I get termites in that, and have to throw the wood away.
Last summer I had swarms of wing little bugs in my lawn looking like they were trying to start a colony. I sprayed them and killed them, but it makes me wonder if they won't these swarmers.
Thanks for the info. I will be hauling all of my old wood to the compose site this spring.
Keep on Hubbing!