Comments on: Is this a termite?

Question: Is this a termite?

waitangi — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:53:24 -0800

Do we have termites? Here is a picture. We are in the bay area of California, and these appeared for the first time tonight after it got dark. They are swarming around our porch light.

By: capricorn

capricorn — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:55:40 -0800

Yep, that's a termite.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:03:41 -0800

termite vs. ant agrees with capricorn, though the only real distinguishing characteristic in your picture is the straight antennae.

By: 26.2

26.2 — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:11:15 -0800

Yep termite. It's not the normal time of year for swarms, but the weather has been so odd this year who knows how that will effect he swarm cycle.

By: BrandonW

BrandonW — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:12:24 -0800

Are you guys made of wood? No? Then you probably don't have termites.

In all seriousness though, that's a termite. You should probably break out the Raid or something.

By: tylerkaraszewski

tylerkaraszewski — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:19:21 -0800

That is a termite but that does not mean termites are living in your house. They might be, or they might not be. Termites do fly around in general and don't infest every house they pass.

By: RRgal

RRgal — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:24:06 -0800

I thought segmented bodies are on ants only? That pic sure looks like a segmented body to me.

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:45:41 -0800

Looks like an ant.

By: waitangi

waitangi — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:49:32 -0800

Thanks everyone! Based on the ant vs termite link, I'm convinced these are termites. You can't see it in the picture, but the body definitely lacks the segmentation.

By: govtdrone

govtdrone — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:28:20 -0800

Termite and as someone who has to deal with the annual swarming of the termites you need to turn off your lights outside and inside because there can be a chance that they could take up residence in your house and start munching.

By: endless_forms

endless_forms — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:14:01 -0800

I thought segmented bodies are on ants only? That pic sure looks like a segmented body to me.

All arthropods have segments. You're noticing the characteristic segmentation pattern shared by all insects, and particularly the expression of that pattern in Hymenoptera (which includes termites, and ants, and wasps, and bees, and others.)

By: Buckt

Buckt — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:51:58 -0800

Entomologist here - definitely termite. The wings are characteristic; very oval shpaed, and hang very long beyond the body. But it really does not mean you have termites; termites form mating swarms and are attracted to lights, so they could have come from anywhere.

By: cnc

cnc — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:18:19 -0800

I have limited experience with this, but termites are really common in the Bay Area and not hard to get rid of if you catch them early.