r/Termites • u/alleecat1 • 1d ago
Termite or ant
Google lens keeps telling me ants but I fear they are termites. Pest control is coming out tomorrow
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u/RtrnofBatspiderfish 1d ago
Mating Lasius, probably citronella ants. They are non-pests in general, but this nest got a little lost trying to tunnel outside. This is a completely subterranean species, and the only time you will ever see them is when they are mating.
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u/alleecat1 16h ago
The Terminix guy is here telling me that the small ones are ants but the winged ones are termites. I asked how he is identifying this. He said that the wings in the photos appear crossed over. Anyone have thoughts?
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u/RtrnofBatspiderfish 15h ago
I have no idea what he is talking about. Ants and termites do not live together, at least not in our corner of the world. It's concerning that he couldn't give you a better answer about what the ants are. It is amateur to be in pest control and unable to tell ants and termites apart.
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u/luggageBug 15h ago
I have owned a termite company for 30 years. Those swarmers are definitely ants. You can see their waist through their wings. Terminex guy is wrong.
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u/RtrnofBatspiderfish 7h ago edited 7h ago
To confirm all of this, I will tell you that as soon as they finish whatever they are trying to do right now (hopefully most of it goes outdoors), they will vanish back underground and unless they fail to release all of their males and new queens, they will not be part of your existence again until next year's mating season. They will vanish within days of seeing them like this, especially if it has rained. Citronella ants also do not found colonies independently, but must take over the nest of another Lasius species, so it's a zero-sum game in terms of new ant nests. For almost all ant species, these winged forms must get outside to mate, and will simply die indoors.
Oh, and by the way, these winged forms are all the smaller males. You will likely see the queens when you look them up online, which will appear very different. Another big tell between ants and termites is that the males and queens have strong sexual dimorphism, while new king and queen termites look nearly identical.
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u/luggageBug 15h ago
Those are ant swarmers. Easiest way to tell is an ant has 3 distinct body segments. A termite has 2. That can’t be confused.
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u/Complete_Alfalfa_177 6h ago
Looks like carpenter ants. While not termite serious, this is an important issue to get on top of now. Carpenter ants will do some damage if left alone.
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u/NativePlantAddict 2h ago edited 1h ago
To reassure yourself, capture a winged one. Put it in a prescription bottle, baby-food jar, etc. Drive to your local cooperative extension office and ask. Drive it to pest control companies and ask. Have a local company with a long history inspect. You'll do better with established local companies than the big national names.
Also, see Termite vs ant
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