Flying ants or termites?
Walter Cohen
termites?
I have what look like winged ants (black bodies with long wings) that have
been congregating on the inside of a window sill in my home. There are
numerous discarded wings along the floor too.
Any help is appreciated.
Walter
Slightly Graying Wolf
Do a search for both and you should find some good illustrations of their
wing and body shapes. I had a similar problem last year and ours turned out
to be the lesser evil of the two (ants).
It took about a month but we got rid of them last year, (as I look down I
see a scout crossing the floor now, seems it is ant hunting season all over
again.
Rich
"Walter Cohen" <w_c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4800cb8b$0$15200$607e...@cv.net...
Google is your friend!
max
"Slightly Graying Wolf" <send_trash_...@RECYCLEhotmail.com>
wrote:
> Do a search for both and you should find some good illustrations of their
> wing and body shapes. I had a similar problem last year and ours turned out
> to be the lesser evil of the two (ants).
>
> It took about a month but we got rid of them last year, (as I look down I
> see a scout crossing the floor now, seems it is ant hunting season all over
> again.
in all seriousness, you probably didn't get rid of them as much as you
endured their mating/migration/whatever season.
Ants taste like limes, termites taste like lemons.
.max
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This signature can be appended to your outgoing mesages. Many people include in
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ransley
Are they large, Carpenter ants can do alot of damage, they dont spread
like termites but they ruin wood like termites.
Mikepier
with wings. They are also around my windowsill. I purchased some of
those Raid stakes they sell in the supermarket and put a few around
outside my house. They seem to have subsided somewhat. I followed
everyones advice with avoiding wet/damp spots around outside of house
like gutters, leaves, old wood.
Frank
I had same problem years ago. They were flying ants. Flying ants look
like ants whereas termites have a broad waist vs. ants which are
segmented. I had to spray area in garage floor where the ants were
coming from.
Next door neighbor had termites and I got a good look at them as they
were infesting wood near my house. I put stakes around house and they
never came in. Neighbor, however, had wood damage and they had to bait
to kill the colony which was outside.
Walter Cohen
carpenter ants as I already have those!
W
"ransley" <Mark_R...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ade6312a-951c-4514...@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Walter Cohen
W
"Slightly Graying Wolf" <send_trash_...@RECYCLEhotmail.com> wrote in
message news:M54Mj.46090$Cj7.2942@pd7urf2no...
gpsman
>
> Are they large, Carpenter ants can do alot of damage, they dont spread
> like termites but they ruin wood like termites.
No, they spread faster than termites. The OP is most likely seeing
carpenter ants.
Carpenter ants, IME, run straight for the highest (and warmest) point
in the house, nest there and eat their way down.
Subterranean termites are not nearly so ambitious. They tend to
remain close to the ground and eat their way up, usually damaging
wooden foundation structure.
The problem with both is that not seeing them <> not having them.
The big problem with eradicating carpenter ants is that the PCO
rarely, if ever, treats the highest point of the structure where the
first nest is usually established.
They detect and avoid the applied pesticide so the homeowner doesn't
see them and thinks they're "cured".
The typical PCO very often just stresses the colony so it splits into
2 ensuring the potential of future business. Not necessarily by ill
intent, just ignorance.
-----
- gpsman
Walter Cohen
looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.
Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).
W
"gpsman" <gps...@driversmail.com> wrote in message
news:d9ba2d14-9aea-45e5...@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
gpsman
> Actually, after seeing pictures of both and grabbing a few specimens it
> looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
> abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.
They're not hard to tell apart.
> Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).
Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.
And, mud tunnels alone are not "proof" of infestation. They could be
old and/or abandoned and/or previously treated by a former owner.
-----
- gpsman
Edwin Pawlowski
"Frank" <frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet> wrote in message
> Next door neighbor had termites and I got a good look at them as they were
> infesting wood near my house. I put stakes around house and they never
> came in.
Lucky you. I put steaks around the house and a lot of people show up.
Norminn
>On Apr 12, 12:51 pm, "Walter Cohen" <w_co...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Actually, after seeing pictures of both and grabbing a few specimens it
>>looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
>>abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.
>>
>>
>
>They're not hard to tell apart.
>
>
>
>>Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).
>>
>>
>
>Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
>and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.
>
>
>
Mud tunnels are formed only by subterranean termites. "Dry wood" or
"damp wood" termites don't build them.
Termites avoid daylight, the purpose of building tubes.
dpb
...
> Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
> and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.
>
> And, mud tunnels alone are not "proof" of infestation. They could be
> old and/or abandoned and/or previously treated by a former owner.
Seeing swarms may not be absolutely conclusive, but _inside_ as OP says
it's pretty doggone likely to indicate a fairly sizable infestation
(amhikt :( ).
Check for pinholes in the sheetrock around the area you see them
congregating in--there's a good chance they are in the walls
behind/around the windows and they will burrow out through the sheetrock
to swarm (again, amhikt)...
There undoubtedly are tunnels, but they may be in places you can't get
to to find them (like the insides of block walls, etc.).
--
--
HeyBub
You could use a stake on the strangers who want your raw steaks, but it
won't help.
Here's a tip that could save your life: This business about a wooden stake
through the heart of a vampire is pure Hollywood bullshit!
If you read Bram Stoker's novel, you'll find the implement used to dispatch
a vampire is a BOWIE KNIFE, not some pissant tent peg.
I live in Texas. We have a lot of Bowie knives and damn few vampires.
Edwin Pawlowski
"HeyBub" <hey...@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in message
>
> I live in Texas. We have a lot of Bowie knives and damn few vampires.
>
Proof enough for me.
beecrofter
Easy job, termite antennae look like a string of beads (filoform) and
are straight
Ant antennae have a bend like a pipe elbow.