termite?


  #1  
Old 04-24-21, 02:12 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 27
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
termite?

I wonder if anyone can tell me if any of these are terminates?




 
  #2  
Old 04-24-21, 05:13 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 27
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
one more picture

 
  #3  
Old 04-24-21, 05:17 PM
XSleeper's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 26,670
Received 1,812 Upvotes on 1,629 Posts
Hard to tell from fuzzy pics. Live specimens would be best. But one big identifying mark is that termites will have straight antenna. Ants will have a definite bend (angle) on their antenna where they are bent.

I can't tell if the antenna are bent or straight in your pics.
 
  #4  
Old 04-25-21, 05:13 AM
P
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 1,899
Received 102 Upvotes on 95 Posts
The second pic from top seems to show a three-segmented body which would indicate "not termites". This time of year, in certain geographic locations, termites are swarming as it is the time for reproduction. The reproductive termites swarm in mass, lose their wings, mate, lay eggs in soil and die. You would find many wings lying loosely in the area. I suspect you didn't find many loose wings, or you would have pointed that out. Sidenote: Worker termites rarely leave the soil or their food source and look like white ants to an extent while the swarmers look like brown/black ants with wings at first, then losing them. The presence of swarmers (reproductives) indicates that a colony of workers is close by and needs attention.

Look closely at the insect body with a magnifier. Is there three distinct body parts as opposed to more of a "unibody"? Three distinct body parts/segments would not be a termite.

Search "stored product pests" and click on "images". There are a variety of small beetles that appear similar. I noted that one of your pictures is in the pantry area which supports stored product pest ID, so far. Keep us posted.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: