Termites vs. Ants: How to Tell the Difference

Both termites and carpenter ants can cause damage to your home, but it can be difficult for homeowners to distinguish between termites vs. ants. These insects look similar with wings and swarm in the spring during mating season, but each presents a different problem.

Read on to learn more about the key differences between termites and ants to uncover which pest is causing issues in your home.

Termites vs. Ant Damage to Homes

Carpenter ants (Camponotus) and termites (Isoptera) share several similarities, not the least because they are both notorious for causing wood damage in homes.

Termites cause damage to homes faster than carpenter ants, creating significant damage within two to four years. Damage from carpenter ants can take a number of years and is usually easier to detect as these ants hang around areas where there is moisture and can be seen scurrying around.

Physical Differences

Ants and termites have several different physical characteristics to tell them apart. The most notable differences are termites have much longer, fragile wings and white, rectangular bodies while carpenter ants have two wings more proportionate to their reddish-black bodies with well-defined, narrow waists.

Body shape

An easy way to tell termites and ants apart is to check and see if the insect has a waist. A termite has no "waist,” instead, its body is more rectangular, without any narrowing in the center. In contrast, the carpenter ant has a very well-defined narrow, constricted waist.

Antennae

Termites and ants also have different antennae. A termite has straight, beaded antennae, meanwhile, a carpenter ant’s antennae are bent or “elbowed.”

Wings

Termite wings are much larger compared to ant wings. Termite wings are equal in size and shape and are much longer than the termite's body.

A carpenter ant’s back wings are shorter than its front forewings and the wings aren't disproportionate to its body. Termite wings also fall off easily and loose wings are often seen near the opening of a termite nest.

Color

Ant workers are reddish or dark-colored while termite workers are transparent, light-colored, or creamy white. Carpenter ant workers are also frequently seen in the open foraging for food while termites avoid light and are rarely noticed unless their nest is disturbed.

Life Cycle

Termites live much longer than ants. Ants have a lifecycle of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The queen carpenter ant can live up to 10 years, but the male workers die shortly after mating, living only a few months, if not weeks.

Termites have a five-stage cycle: egg, larva, nymph, molt, and adult. The queen can live up to 30 years, while the worker and soldier termites live between one to two years, and reproductive termites live around three to four years.

Behavioral Differences

Both carpenter ants and termites build their nests in wood, but carpenter ants prefer moist, damaged wood whereas termites will chew and eat through healthy wood.

Carpenter ants also build clean tunnels so you may see wood shavings near the holes, but termites create ragged tunnels and mud tubes to travel between the soil and wood.

Habitat

Ants and termites prefer different types of wood to build their nests. Carpenter ants seek out moist and damaged wood to excavate their nests whereas termites will chew right into the healthy wood.

Diet and Behavior

Termites eat the wood where they nest unlike carpenter ants, which merely dig into the wood to excavate their nests. The ants don't eat the wood but simply push it out through openings of the galleries of their colonies. Small piles of wood shavings or frass (insect waste) below the holes are signs of a carpenter ant infestation. 

Tunnels

Carpenter ant wood tunnels and galleries are smoother and more finished compared to termite galleries, which are rough, ragged, and filled with layers of soil and mud.

You may also notice mud tubes if termites are present. These are tubes built on the outside of walls or between the soil and wood and serve as the passageways through which the termites travel.

Signs of Ants vs. Termites

Carpenter Ants

• Large, winged ants scurrying around near or inside your home
• Smooth, finished tunnels in moist wood structures
• Wood shavings outside of tunnel holes
  

Termites

• Loose wings near tunnel holes
• Ragged, rough tunnels with layers of dirt
• Mud tubes on walls or leading up to your home
• Significant signs of wood damage
• Hollow-sounding wood structures

Controlling Carpenter Ants and Termites

Because carpenter ants and termites are so different, each requires different control measures to remove them. Carpenter ants can often be controlled by eliminating the conditions that attract them (e.g. rotting wooden structures), but a termite infestation usually requires professional help.

Ask a pest control expert about using different chemicals to kill the existing insects and repel them from further infestation. It's also important to inspect your home's wood structures so any wood damaged by insects is removed and replaced.

If you notice winged ant-like insects in your home, collect a sample to compare with online photos or show it to a pest control professional for identification and recommended treatment.