What’s the difference between an ant and a termite?
🐜 Ant vs 🪳 Termite (quick ID)
1. Body shape
- Ants: Pinched “waist” (hourglass shape)
- Termites: Straight, thick body (no narrow waist)
2. Antennae
- Ants: Bent/elbowed antennae
- Termites: Straight, bead-like antennae
3. Wings (if swarmers)
- Ants:
- Front wings longer than back wings
- Wings look uneven
- Termites:
- All 4 wings same size
- Wings are long, uniform, and often shed easily
4. Color
- Ants: Usually dark (black, brown, red)
- Termites: Pale, creamy, or translucent (workers); swarmers can be darker
🧠 Behavior differences
Ants
- Live in colonies but forage outside for food
- Eat a wide range (sweets, proteins, grease)
- Don’t eat wood (except carpenter ants, which excavate it)
Termites
- Eat wood/cellulose
- Stay hidden inside walls, soil, or wood
- Cause structural damage, not just nuisance
🔍 Signs in a house
- Ants:
- Trails of ants
- Food scavenging
- Sawdust-like debris (carpenter ants = coarse, fibrous)
- Termites:
- Mud tubes (subterranean)
- Frass pellets (drywood—like in your photo)
- Hollow-sounding wood
- Discarded wings near windows
