First of all, remember
that termites eat and digest wood.
Carpenter ants
do not eat wood but do tunnel in rotted wood to form its
nests. That is a big area of confusion for a lot of
people.
Both termites and ants
have stages in their life cycles (or the life cycle of
their colonies) that include both winged and non-winged
adults. The winged types of both have four wings. The
difference is that on the termite, both wings are the
same size while the wings on ants are of different
sizes.
There are several
different types of termites found in the
United States
The most
common type is subterranean termite so named because it
establishes its nest in the ground. Drywood termites do
not require contact with the moisture in the soil.
Dampwood termites do not require contact with the soil
but do require that the wood be damp.
If you find galleries in
the wood of a structure i.e. house, barn, garage, you
should contact someone (University
Extension
Service,
for example) to get the problem properly diagnosed. Then
you can make an informed decision on the proper approach
to take in your area of the country.
