The first sign for a homeowner that a home may have termites is when that homeowner see’s termites with wings. To be sure, many homeowners over the years have seen this in known CT termite towns like Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington and Fairfield, but you should know not all ants with wings are termites.
As a local exterminator in the Waterbury area we get calls every year from frantic homeowners telling us that they’ve found termites with wings. More often than not these insects with wings are not termites at all. In fact, it’s far more common for the problem to be one of the following:
- Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ant with wings - Citronella Ants
- Stone Flies
- Pavement Ants
- Little Black Ants
In order to be sure the homeowner should have a qualified exterminator identify the specimen as either a termite, ant or some other species of insect.
There are however some things to look for. They’re as follows:
- Look for 100’s of discarded translucent wings on the floor
- Insects with four wings all of equal length
- Small black/brown insects with only two body parts which appear to be following one another on the floor
- Tubes of mud on foundation walls
If you have any of the preceding evidence you may have subterranean termites. A visit from a qualified exterminator like Envirocare Pest Control is warranted, but don’t panic; termites are a chronic problem and a short wait for the company to show up is unlikely to produce any further damage.
Before I leave, I want to leave you with a fact.
What evidence can you find that is a definite indication you DO NOT have termites?
Answer: The presence of sawdust. The eastern subterranean termite doesn’t produce sawdust (technical name is frass) only carpenter ants do. We’ll go over the specifics another day.
If you need a termite exterminator in areas like Waterbury, Southington, Cheshire or Fairfield, call Envirocare at 1-888-879-6481. We can help.