Termites vs ants are always battling one another for equal ground. However, most homeowners will mistake termites for ants or vice-versa.
Both termites and ants look alike, which makes it hard to tell what issue you are dealing with.
However, termites are more closely related to cockroaches, while carpenter ants are destructive in some ways, and annoying in others.
What are Termites?
Termites are confused for white ants, but they are not the same.
They have different appearances and characteristics, and an exterminator in Toronto can easily tell the difference between the two.
Termites live on cellulose. This is an organic compound that resides in plants and wood. No matter the species of termite infesting your home, they all dine on cellulose, per Wikipedia.
Their diet means that they not only will eat the structure of your home, but they may enjoy cardboard, paper, and plants around the house too.
Termites do have a similar size and shape to ants, but there are unique differences that the best pest control company in Toronto quickly spot.
These differences include a lighter color, usually white to cream. They also have a vertical antenna, while ants are curved.
Lastly, termites have a thick waist.
The Classes of Termites
Termites have classes, like carpenter ants.
However, they have a different type of class system, and termites take on different roles.
3 Classes within Termite Colonies
1. Soldier Termites
These ones have larger heads and come in male and female form, but they are underdeveloped sexually.
They have jaws that are too big to feed, and they are the first line of defense against any attack.
2. Worker Termites
Workers are also female and male, but they are the ones responsible for damaging your home.
They can mine, build, and serve as midwives in the colony. The workers make up for most the colony’s population too.
3. Winged Termites
Those with wings are the ones that leave the nest in the spring and start mating to form new colonies.
After they mate, they lose their winds.
What are Carpenter Ants?
While carpenter ants are indigenous to the forested areas, they are also found heavily in Canada.
They enjoy building their nests inside wood, which is why they will hollow out sections of trees in the forest to create their colony’s nest, says Wikipedia.
Like termites, they infest wooden structures, and they are a widespread, destructive nuisance in the human habitats around the country.
When they create a nest inside your home’s structure, they also create galleries, which allow them to move throughout the wood and find their nest.
So, if you have a nest in your home, you likely have small holes throughout the wooden structures where the ants created their passageways.
Carpenter ants do not feed on cellulose like termites. Instead, they eat dead insects and the substances from other insects. They like nectar from plants and the aphid honeydew.
They also feed on the decay that comes from rotting wood, and they will use wood to create a nest for the colony.
These carpenter ants are like termites because they have winged ants that also leave the nest in the warmer months to create another colony.
Also, there are worker ants that are the most destructive, creating passageways from food sources to the colony.
Carpenter ants rely on their queen, and the newly hatched eggs and queen are the only ones to reside inside the nest.
You will know you have a carpenter ant problem because you will see wood shavings.
Carpenter ants leave excess wood on the outside of their nest entrance because they do not consume it.
Termites, however, do not leave shavings behind because the wood is their diet.
Think You Have Insects Nesting in Your Home? Contact the Best Pest Control in Toronto
At Power Pest Control, Inc, we know how destructive termites and carpenter ants can be in your home.
That is why we offer our ants removal services.
Contact us today for a six-month warranty on your carpenter ant removal or upgrade to a full year of coverage for just a little bit more.
We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and we come highly recommended by homeowners just like you that have had to deal with carpenter ants destroying their home.
