People often confuse carpenter ants and termites, and for good reason: both are tiny, black wood-eating insects that swarm inside of homes. However, termites can cause significantly worse problems for your home than carpenter ants. This is because carpenter ants usually isolate their activity to their nesting area, and mainly search for already damaged wood. In contrast, termites can eat through any kind of wood in any part of your house. For this reason, it is important to know the difference between carpenter ants vs termites.
How to Tell the Difference
The main difference between the two insects is in their appearance: the insects’ wings, antennae, and bodies are distinct and therefore discernable. Both termites and carpenter ants have four wings each. However, the front set of termite wings are noticeably longer than the pair in the back, and will always be the same size on any termite you come across. The wings on carpenter ants, in contrast, come in all sizes and are evenly matched in front and back.
Another, slightly more detailed, way to dell the difference between carpenter ants vs termites is in the antennae. While carpenter ants’ antennae are crooked in the middle, termites have straight antennae that appear to be beaded. Finally, the two insects’ bodies are distinct and allow identification. Carpenter ants look similar to any other ant: they appear to have segments because of the thin waist in their middle. In contrast, termites are not narrow at all, and can be identified by their straight bodies.
If you are not able to find any of the insects, another great way to tell if you have an ant problem or a termite problem is to look at the clues around your house. Since carpenter ants do not actually eat the wood they burrow in, you should be able to find wood shavings or sawdust near their nesting area. In contrast, termites will leave trails of mud and other debris as they work to eat away the wood in their nest. If you find remains of other kinds of bugs, this is a good sign that your house is host to carpenter ants vs termites, since termites do not eat other bugs.
While the above tips are a great start to identifying carpenter ants vs termites, it is important to take care of the infestation problem regardless of which insect your house is host to. For effective NJ termite control and NJ ant control, you can rely on Horizon Pest Control. Call us today!
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