Ants Or Termites?!?!

[mhorgan]

So I came across a new anthill (at least thats what it appears to be) along the side of my house as I was mowing the lawn yesterday. Of course I promptly laid down a hail of insecticide but came outside a few minutes ago and came across these winged creatures! Im not completely sure if they're either winged ants or termites. I Googled it of course but the pictures are very similar and it's hard to tell. The distinguishing feature seems to be that the ants have wings which aren't quite even length, but it's hard to tell when they're 1/2 and inch long and are cringing from having chemicals doused on them. Most of them have their wings folded on top of each other and dont look exactly uniform but they'res always the shadow of doubt. I live in the south so it's usually a fair guess to assume the worst when it comes to bugs, but would termites and ants occupy the same space?

[txab]

Do you see any mud tunnels? Ant's bodies are usually segmented

[wavery]

You won't normally see winged termites on the ground. They grow wings while burrowed in the wood. When they mature to the flight stage, they take off in huge swarms looking for water and a new home. Once they land, they shed their wings within a short time and go looking for a new home.

[Zembonez]

Ants are generally brown or red and termites are more light tan to whitish in color (at least that's how it here).

[wavery]

Timing on his was great. My termite guy just left and I asked him about this.

 

He said that there are "Ground Termites". They nest in the ground and go back and forth to the building for food (wood) and water. He says that ground termites are small and have a tiny black head. The termites that we see a lot of are red and a bit bigger than most ants with wings that are half again longer that the body.

 

You might do a search for "Ground Termites".

[elvisdonnelly]

Ants are bigger in size than termites, ants and termites grow wings only when the queen dies or they move to a new place. I would suggest that you check for ants, there are many species in ants

[AGT]

http://www.termitesgonewild.com/termite-id...ts-vs-termites/