How can you tell if those insects hovering around your home’s foundation are flying ants or swarming termites? Obviously, you don’t want either, but swarming termites are the greatest concern.

Here are a few rules for telling the difference:

Ants

• Ants have a thin waist (a narrow area between the thorax and first abdominal segment).

• Wings in the front are larger than those in the back.

• Wings have few veins and are usually clear.

Termites

• Termite thorax and abdomen are broadly connected.

• Wings are four in number and approximately the same size and shape.

• Wings have many veins and may be milky-colored.

If the insects are ants or termites, you will see a number of winged individuals present in the mass of insects. These individuals are the unmated queens and kings of the colony that disperse to establish new insect colonies. Capture a couple of these winged individuals in the swarm and look for the three distinctive differences (listed above) between termites and ants.

“Swarming” is a term often used by entomologists to describe the forming and departing of a mass of individuals from an insect colony. In addition to ants and termites, bees, wasps and yellow jackets may swarm.

In the area of the swarm, look for evidence of insect-damaged wood. Most ant species do not damage wood, but a few species prefer to nest in soft wood that has been damaged by water or that is in the process of breaking down or rotting. Ants do not eat wood but will chew tunnels and chambers within the wood itself, so look for signs of sawdust under the damaged wood.

Most termite species also prefer soft or water-damaged wood, but some species will infest dry, undecayed wood. Unlike ants, termites will eat wood. Look for darkening or blistering of wooden structures, and look for claylike tubes or tunnels leading from the soil to the wooden structure.

If you determine that the swarm is termites or you find evidence of termite damage to any wooden structures, hire a pest-management professional as soon as possible. If you determine the swarm is ants and you find evidence of ant damage or sawdust under any wooden structure, you may also want to hire a pest-management professional.

For more information, contact any office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. You can pick up a copy of “What’s Bugging You?” at the Limestone County Extension Office, 1109 W. Market St., in Athens or online at https://bit.ly/2OSvghK. If you still have questions, call 256-232-5510.