Seeing flying insects in or near your home can be worrying. Understanding whether they are flying ants or termites helps you take the next steps to stop any problems in their tracks.

You can tell the difference between flying ants and termites by their wing size. Both insects have four wings, but two of the flying ant’s wings are smaller than the others. All four of the wings on a termite are the same size. You can also look for the elbowed antennae of flying ants vs. the straight antennae of termites. Finally, flying ants have a pinched waist, while termites’ bodies are the same width from top to bottom.

By examining those characteristics you can identify whether you are dealing with flying ants or termites. Learn more about differentiating flying ants and termites and what you should do about them in this article.

You might also be interested in reading these two related articles “How To Get Rid Of Fire Ants” and “How To Get Rid Of Kitchen Ants“.

What Is The Best Way To Visually Tell The Difference Between Flying Ants And Termites?

The best visual way to tell the difference between flying ants and termites is the size of their wings. Both insects have two pairs of wings, but the second wings on ants are smaller than the first, while all termite wings are the same size.

The four wings of termites are all equal in length and shape, with a translucent, veiny appearance. Termites hold their wing pairs with one on top of the other when they aren’t flying, so it may seem like they only have two wings.

On the other hand, flying ants have different lengths and shaped wings. Like termites, they also hold their wings on top of each other when not in flight, and you might need to pull them apart to properly distinguish the two this way.

How To Identify Termites

If you can catch the flying insect you want to identify, several physical characteristics set termites apart. Catch the flying insect in a glass jar so you can inspect its body.

Some signs that the flying insect you want to identify is a termite are:

• Broad waist and mostly uniform width for the entire body.
• Nearly straight antennae.
• Black or dark brown color.
• Six legs.
• 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch long.

Keep in mind that termites lose their wings after they find a place to nest. Therefore, termites on the ground or in wood might not have wings.

How To Identify Flying Ants

Several physical traits can help you identify flying ants, including:

• Pinched waist, which makes it obvious ants have a middle and lower body section.
• Elbowed antennae, which can have an L-shape.
• Red, black or brown color.
• Six legs.
• 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch long.

Do Flying Ants Eat Wood?

Flying ants don’t eat wood. These insects are omnivorous, feeding on nectar, seeds, other insects or food inside homes.

Some flying ants, such as carpenter ants, build nests in wood. Flying ant nests tend to be small and don’t cause damage to structures.

How To Tell the Difference Between A Flying Ant and Termite Infestation

If you can’t capture a flying insect, you might be able to tell if you have an infestation of flying ants or termites in your home. There are several differences between the two you can look out for.

How To Identify A Termite Infestation

A termite infestation can do serious damage to your home. If you see flying insects that could be termites, you should inspect for signs of a termite infestation.

Five early warning signs of a termite infestation are:

1. Sticking windows or doors- Wooden frames around doors and windows are easy targets for termites. Their activities could cause them to warp, then opening and closing the window or door becomes difficult.
2. Damaged drywall, wallpaper or paint- Termite activity inside walls might cause the outermost layer to discolor, crack or have pinholes.
3. Discarded termite swarmer wings- Once a termite swarmer finds a mate, it sheds its wings, which could point to an infestation nearby.
4. Termite mud tubes- Subterranean termites make mud tubes to prevent their bodies from drying out. Seeing brown veins running from the ground to wooden parts of your house could be a sign of a termite infestation.
5. Termite droppings- Drywood termites leave behind frass after eating wood. It looks like wood shaving or sawdust and might be pellet shaped.

How To Identify A Flying Ant Infestation

The most likely culprit of a flying ant infestation is carpenter ants. Seven signs of a flying ant infestation are:

1. Noises in your walls like scratching or rustling. Carpenter ants make these sounds while building nests.
2. Seeing large black ants. By the time carpenter ants make their nests, they no longer have wings.
3. Piles of sawdust under woodwork like baseboards, window sills or door jambs.
4. Long ant paths or trails in your lawn. Carpenter ants use these trails to look for food around their nest.
5. Finding ant droppings, which are a loose mixture of fibrous, soft pieces of wood and fecal matter.
6. Large flying ants coming out of walls, ceilings, floors, crawl spaces or doors.
7. Discovering shed wings from ants near baseboards, window sills or vents.

Lifecycle Differences Between Flying Ants and Termites

Ant queens can live for years, while worker ants live for a few months. Ants have four developmental stages, including:

1. Egg- Soft, oval, white and about the size of a sentence’s period. 
2. Larva- A worm-like stage of rapid growth fed by the worker ants.
3. Pupa- Some ants spend this stage of reorganization in a cocoon, or with their legs and antennae folded against their body.
4. Adult- This is the ant stage we recognize, with a three-segmented body, six legs, and elbowed antennae.

On the other hand, termite queens can live for decades, while the other termites live for several years. Termites go through three stages of development, which are:

1. Egg- Shaped like tiny jelly beans with a translucent exterior.
2. Nymph- During this stage, the termite molts several times as it grows.
3. Adult- Termites have different roles in the colony and take on an appearance that fits their role.

Why Do Flying Ants Or Termites Suddenly Appear?

Both flying ants and termites suddenly appear because they are mating. Only the queen and reproductive males can fly, and they do this to find a suitable place to create a new colony.

After mating, the male dies, while the queen drops her wings to find a place to build a nest. If flying ants or termites suddenly appear in your home, they might have just hatched from an active colony, and you should inspect the area for an infestation.

What Should I Do About Flying Ants and Termites?

Your response to flying ants or termites depends on whether you have an infestation. If you don’t see signs of an infestation, continue to monitor while making your home less appealing to insects.

You can take several steps to prevent flying ants or termites from invading your home. The measures you can take are:

• Clean up brush and plants around your home.
• Move wood piles or dead wood away from your house.
• Treat exposed wood with an insecticidal product or paint.

What To Do About A Flying Ant Infestation

Fortunately, flying ants typically don’t do severe damage to homes. They are most likely to nest in damp or rotting wood. Therefore, the first step is to replace the rotting wood and stop it from getting wet again.

After repairing the damaged wood, there are three main ways of killing the remaining flying ants. The three methods are:

1. Dust- Insecticidal dust can be injected into the ant nest to kill them.
2. Bait- Set out bait laced with insecticides that ants will carry back to the nest and later kill them.
3. Spray- This method only works if you are worried that flying ants will make a nest in your house. Spray individuals as they appear.

What To Do About A Termite Infestation

Termites can quickly do structural damage to your home. For this reason, it’s best to get help from pest control professionals if you have a termite infestation. You might want to read my article on “How To Get Rid Of Termites“.

If your DIY termite extermination goes wrong, the insects could make your home dangerous, then you would face expensive repairs. Meanwhile, pest control experts will guarantee the protection of your house from the wood boring insects.

After the termite infestation is controlled, you can work on prevention yourself. Steps you can take to prevent termites from returning to your home include:

• Use mulch sparingly and never allow it to contact wood siding or any part of your house. Termites are attracted to mulch’s moisture retention and insulation, not as a food source.
• Don’t store firewood next to the house. This gives termites a food source and ways of crawling into the house.
• Eliminate wood from your home in contact with the ground. Wood needs to be at least six inches from the soil.
• Don’t allow water to accumulate near your home’s foundation. Repair leaks, gutters and downspouts and make sure water can drain away from your home.
• Give crawl spaces proper ventilation to prevent humidity. Clean crawl space vents regularly and install a vapor barrier under your home.