Now that termite and ant season is in full force, our team at Clark Exterminating thought we’d share some tips on how to tell the difference between termites and flying ants. Whether you need termite treatment in Little Rock, ant extermination in Jacksonville, or full pest control in Hot Springs, give us a call today at 501-712-3721 (Benton) or 501-588-2514 (Little Rock) and let Clark take care of your bug problem today!
Flying termites, or swarmers, are essentially the colony’s scouts and settlers. Swarmers fly out in all directions looking for a good place to bring the colony. Once they find an area with a good source of food and shelter, they signal the colony to move in. Unfortunately, most Little Rock homes are also excellent sources of food (wood) and shelter, so it’s important to deal with swarmers quickly while they’re still in the scouting phase.
Flying ants are not actually a separate ant species, but simply ants in a certain stage of development – the mating stage. In an ant colony, the queen lays eggs and is protected by thousands of sterile worker ants. However, in order to create new colonies, the queen gives birth to a small group of winged ants every year around spring and early summer. Essentially, if you spot flying ants in your home that means there may be a new colony on the way.
Both flying termites and flying ants can cause problems in different ways, but how can you tell the difference? Start by looking at them up close. The bodies of ants have three distinct sections, while termites have larger midsections. Also, termites have similar front and back wings, while ants have one larger and one smaller pair of wings.
Another good way to distinguish ants and termites is to find the source of the flyers. Termites dig tunnels to conceal their nest, while ants usually build mounds and nest close to buildings or sidewalks. Since the colonies look so different, find the colony and you can know easily whether you’re dealing with an ant or termite problem. You might even think about catching some of the bugs to show to an expert if you’re still not sure what you’re dealing with.
If you think you might have a serious swarmer problem, leave it to an Arkansas pest control professional. If you need to get rid of termite swarmers in Malvern, flying ants in Cabot or any other kind of pest control in North Little Rock get in touch with Clark Exterminating today!
