What do termites look like?

All homeowners should know what a termite looks like.

With the chances of a termite attack more likely than house fire, flood and other natural disaster combined – and termite damage not covered by standard home insurance – Sydney homeowners need to know what termites look like.

If you have termites in your yard or worse still your house, you need to take action immediately. If you have ants (or something else), you can probably relax…

Are termites and white ants the same?

Yes! “White ants” is a common name used to describe termites, as superficially they look a bit like ants (and they’re white). However, when you look a bit closer, they are quite different (see below).

Actually, termites are more closely related to cockroaches than ants.

What’s the difference between termites and ants?

There are 4 easy ways to tell the difference between worker ants and termites:

• Ants have 3 obvious body segments, termites have 2 obvious body segments
• Ants are black or brown in colour, termite workers are a pale, mottled white colour
• Ant antennae are bent, termite antennae are straight
• Ants have obvious eyes, termite workers are blind

There is also a big difference in the foraging behaviour of termites and ants, which impacts where you will see them. Termites don’t like light and are at risk of dehydrating, so most of the time termites will remain hidden underground, inside their mud shelter tubes or hidden inside the wood they are feeding on. In contrast, ant will typically forage in the open, often in sunshine.

Types of termites

Although it’s the worker termite (described above) that does all the damage, there are different types of termites (or castes) inside the nest.

• Queen and king termites – it is unlikely you will see these termites as they are hidden deep inside the nest
• Alates – flying termites that become the kings and queens of new nests
• Soldiers – these termites have modified heads and are the defenders of the colony
• Workers – they do all the work – forage for food, chew the wood, build the nest and take care of the young

The worker termites are the most common termite, and it is these termites that you are most likely to see, as they are foragers which leave the nest to find food (and eat your home!).

You are also likely to see some soldier termites, as they accompany the workers during their foraging activities to provide protection. If you break open one of their mud tubes or an area of wood where there are eating, it is likely that the soldier termites will rush to defend the breach. These solider termites look different to the worker termites as they have a darker head and modified jaws which they use for defence. These solider termites are used by termite professionals to identify the species of termite.

Alates are the flying termites – the new kings and queens which fly from the nest in large numbers once a year, typically in spring and summer on warm, humid nights. These are all brown in colour, have obvious eyes and two pairs of equal sized wings. They can be distinguished from flying ants, in that flying ants have an obvious waist and two pairs of unequal sized wings.

If you spot flying termites around your house, it means there is a large nest nearby and you must have your house inspected immediately.

Other signs of termites…

There are a number of other signs of termites, that are useful to know, as termites themselves are quite good at remaining hidden.

However, even if you’re confident of spotting termite activity, it is essential that you have termite inspections at least once a year to check your property and building for termites. In addition to their experience, the termite inspector will use specialised equipment to detect termites and areas of moisture, which could indicate termite activity or lead to a termite attack.

Of course, to protect your home from termite attack, if your home doesn’t have termite protection in place, a termite treatment will be required.