What is Termite? and Difference Between Ant and Termite
What is Termite? In the simplest definition, termites are miniature, burrowing insects that live on wood, they especially love damp wood. In appearance they are rather like tiny white ants, and are often referred to as white ants – although they are not a type of ant at all.
Termites are social insects that live with a specific social order to take care of the termite colony that they live in.
That’s right – there are actually levels of termite lifecycle, just as in human life. Because they are social insects, this sort of setup works best for them because they don’t acquire the identical skills that we humans do in order to get things done. But, get things done, they definitely do!
Termite Hierarchy:
There are five levels of termites in a colony and these are:
- The Worker termite
- The Soldier termite
- The Reproductive termite or swarmer termite
- The King termite
- The Queen termite
What are Termites?
Each distinctive hierarchical level comes with its particular duties and functions when it comes to the colony as a whole. Termites have long been referred to as white ants, which they are not. There are a few similarities between the two species, but appearance is probably the most notable.
Ants also live in colonies with each level performing specific functions within the community. They all work together to make sure that they all live in relative peace having food and defense. But termite infestation can be exceedingly destructive when it comes to our buildings, and this is why people don’t want them around and the importance of proper termite elimination is must. Because they live inside the wood, often the damage they do is not noticed until it is well advanced, and the destruction and cost can be exorbitant.
The Difference Between Ants and Termites with Wings:
Some people do not know the difference between ants vs. termites. Many homeowners do not even know very much about termites in the first place, and never think it might become a problem for them.
However studies have shown that for every home, there can be at least four termite colonies in residence, in or near the home and around the property.
So it is a very good idea to be aware of these pests so you can take the suitable measures if you happen to see signs of termites around your house you have to call Pest Control Werribee experts to get the job done for you.
How to Distinguish Ant vs. Termite?
On inspection, you can see that flying ants vs. termites are actually quite simple to distinguish between. Here is a list of the obvious visible differences in this flying ant vs termite:
Body Parts: Ants have three obvious body sections, while the termite only appears to have one.
Waist-line: One of most unique difference between termites and flying ants is the pinched inwards waist on the ant, whereas the termite body is almost fully straight.
Antenna: Ant antenna is elbowed, or bent and the termite antenna is straight.
Wings: The termite wings are all the same length, whereas the ant’s wings are longer on the front than are the rear wings.
Color: All termite swarmers bodies are black. Some flying ants are black as well however, but others are yellow, brown and even reddish in color. So, it is not black, and then you can be sure it is not a swarmer termite.