These winged insects look similar, swarming in the spring during mating season.
Each presents different problems.
Tip
Termites are more destructive to wood than carpenter ants.
The Spruce / Candace Madonna
Wood destroyed by termites can also look like water damage.
Physical Differences
Termites and ants have several different physical characteristics to help tell them apart.
Termites have much longer, fragile wings and white, rectangular bodies.
Carpenter ants damage woodOxford Scientific / Getty Images
Carpenter ants have wings proportionate to reddish-black bodies and well-defined, narrow waists.
A termite has no “waist”; its body is more rectangular, without narrowing in the center.
In contrast, the carpenter ant has a well-defined, narrow, and constricted waist.
Termitesjeridu / Getty Images
Antennae
Termites and ants also have different antennae.
A termite has straight, beaded antennae; a carpenter ants antennae are bent or elbowed.
Wings
Termite wings are much larger compared to ant wings.
A termite’s wings are equal in size and shape and are much longer than its body.
Color
Termite workers are transparent, light-colored, or creamy white.
Ant workers are reddish or dark-colored.
Life Cycle
Termites live much longer than ants.
Carpenter ants have a life cycle of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Behavioral Differences
Termites and carpenter ants build their nests in wood.
Termites will chew and eat healthy wood, but carpenter ants prefer moist, damaged wood.
Termites create ragged tunnels and mud tubes to travel between the soil and wood.
Carpenter ants build clean tunnels so that you may see wood shavings near the holes.
A termite worker avoids the light and is rarely noticed unless its nest is disturbed.
A carpenter ant worker is frequently seen in the open foraging for food.
Habitat
Termites and ants prefer different types of wood to build their nests.
Termites chew right into the healthy wood.Carpenter antsseek out moist and damaged wood to excavate for their nests.
Diet
Termites eat the wood where they nest.
Carpenter ants dig into the wood to excavate their nests.
The ants don’t eat the wood but push it out through openings in the galleries of their colonies.
Tunnels
Termite galleries are rough, ragged, and filled with layers of soil and mud.
You may also notice mud tubes if termites are present.
Carpenter ant wood tunnels and galleries are smoother and more finished than termite tunnels.
Inspect your home’s wood structures so any wood damaged by insects is removed and replaced.
Sand barriers also deter termites; they can’t burrow through sand.
Termites are most active and visible during spring since they swarm during this time to mate.
Interestingly, ants are predatory and attracted to termites because they feed on termites waste.
Calling an exterminator is the quickest, most surefire way to eliminate carpenter ants.
A professional can determine the source of the infestation and treat it with the correct amount of insecticide.
Spring Swarmers, Understanding the Termite Life Cycle.PestWorld.org
Black carpenter ant.BioKids, University of Michigan.
Winged Ants vs. Termites.Kansas State University Extension.
Biology and Management of Carpenter Ants.University of Georgia Extension.
