Termites and ants are two nuisance crawlers you’d like your home to be off-limit to. Seeing either of these loiterers on your property can be confusing, especially to distant eyes. They look alike but have different body characteristics and behavioral traits. It’s hence essential you know their disparities to have an idea of which creep exactly you’re battling.
The presence of either within your space wreaks havoc. Although for ants, they are mildly harmful. Termites, on the other hand, have limitless destructive potential to your properties. They pose a great threat with a higher possibility of damage to infrastructures and home facilities. This is why you shouldn’t give room for pest breeding in your surroundings. Learn more here about how to prevent this.
Are you still wondering what makes the difference? Well, here we go.
Termites: What are they?
Termites are also referred to as white ants or silent destroyers. The ‘white ant’ nomenclature indicates how easily they are mistaken for typical ants. They are voracious wood eaters. Aside from woods, they feed on plants, papers, cellulose, etc.
Below are some of their physically distinctive body structures.
● External Body Shape
The body of a termite has a broader waist at the abdominal area. Compared to other insects, it’s more rectangular without a tapered center.
● Color
Termites are commonly creamy white. They are also transparent and light. Depending on the stage of metamorphosis, the color can range from a complete white to deep brown or black.
● Wings
Their four wings are uniformly sized and shaped. Most noticeable is their lengthier wings compared to the entire body.
● Antennae
The antennae of termites are similar to a stack of beads or small balls. Also, they are straightened.
● Habitations
Termites can be found around furniture, crawlspaces, workshops, beneath floor seals, along wooden staircases, etc. Discarded wings, droppings, and wood particles are some of the ways you can identify their presence.
Ants: What are they?
There are a lot of ant species. Of all, the most common household ants are the carpenter ants. It also doubles as the most similar species to the termite. More to this, the duo has damaging effects on planks and other wooden structures.
However, flying ants are somewhat similar to flying termites also. Swarming carpenter ants are winged closely as the flying termite.
Below are the significant body distinctions.
● External Body Shape
Generally, ants have thin, long, and fine waists. The carpenter ant species are known to be small in size.
● Color
Black is common to ants’ exterior. However, this outlook can be other colors like red, dark orange, etc.
● Wings
Ants, just like termites, are winged. Again, they as well possess four wings. In the carpenter ants, the hindwings are shorter compared to the forewings; they aren’t more extensive than the body. Essentially, the wings of ants are less shed compared to that of the termites.
● Antennae
The antennae of ants are angled or bent.
● Habitations
Ants can be seen anywhere in your house or space. They can be seen feeding openly on your food, room corners, etc.
Conclusion
Now that you can tell the difference between these two, you stand a good chance of exterminating them. To ensure you do not have them in your environment, practice good hygiene. You can find out more here.
