There is nothing like being dive-bombed by flying insects here in South Florida. It seems everything flies! Palmetto bugs, Locusts, Termites, and Ants are just some pests part of our everyday lives. Luckily there are solutions to get rid of and control them.
First, you have to identify, that the biggest call we get during termite season (March – September) is ” I have flying termites”, a lot of the time, it's flying ants. So how do you tell the difference?
3 major factors play a role:
1. The antennae, Termites have straight antennae and ants have bent antennae.
2. The Waist, Termites will have no waistline, just a solid body, ants have sections, leading to a narrow waist.
3. The Wings, Termite wings are twice the length of the body, some even have a rainbow color. Ants wings are closer in length to the size of the ant.
Another telltale sign you may have a termite problem is finding the termite pellets, called frass. This is essentially termite poop. When the gallery (tunnel) gets too full, the termite makes a small hole in the wood and starts to push the frass out, leaving behind a small pile as they work their way down the wood piece.
Ants on the other hand will leave trails of dirt or piles of dirt in the area they are working.
If in doubt, you can always send us a picture for identification!