Are they ants or termites?
- For clues to help distinguish swarming termites from swarming ants, examine the insects' wings, waist and antennae. While both insects have two pairs of wings, termite wings are relatively equal in size. Ant wings tend to be longer in front and shorter in back.
- Ants also have a narrow, pinched waist. Termites' waists are thicker and less distinct.
- In addition, ants' antennae are elbowed, while termites' are
straight.
Why do termites behave the way they do?
- Subterranean termites are based in the soil, living in colonies that may contain millions of individuals.
- Cellulose is food for termites and they get cellulose from wood or anything made from wood. In nature, termites perform a valuable service — breaking down dead trees and recycling the nutrients back into the soil.
- Termites require moisture, warmth and protection in order to survive. They build mud tubes to protect themselves as they leave the soil to search for food.
- Most termites in the colony are workers, which forage 24 hours a day for food to feed the other colony members. Some are soldiers, which fight off predators. Only a few are reproductives, including the queen, which can lay an egg every 15 seconds.
- When a termite finds a food source, it leaves a trail of pheromones, a scent trail, to lead other workers to it. Workers then use the food source to feed soldiers and reproductives, which cannot feed themselves.
- Swarming occurs when reproductive males and female termites leave
the old colony to start new families, usually in the spring.
