What Are Flying Termites?

Dangers of Flying Termites

Once two swarmer termites have paired off, they become the king and queen of their new colony. They will spend the rest of their lives producing new termites – up to 30,000 a day. That many termites need a lot to eat; it’s estimated that termites cause Americans up to $5 billion in damages per year, destroying up to a pound of wood per day.

Flying Termites vs. Flying Ants

Flying termites are frequently confused with flying ants. Both serve the same purpose in their respective colonies – winged reproducers that strike out from their home colonies and form their own. However, while termites are always a hazard that should be dealt with promptly, winged ants are only a threat to your property if they happen to be carpenter ants. However, carpenter ants aren’t as destructive as termites, as they only burrow through the wood rather than eating it.

Regardless of which type of flying insect is swarming around your property, it’s best to get it checked out by a professional. In the meantime, here are a few of the physical differences between termites and flying ants for you to look out for:

• Body shape. Termites have straight waists while ants have pinched waists.
• Antenna shape. Termite antennae are straight; ant antennae are “elbowed” or bent in the middle.
• Wing length. Both of a termite’s wing sets are the same length; ants have one longer set and one shorter set. 

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