Do Ants Kill Termites?

Termites are a pest problem that homeowners don't want to have. Extermination companies have made a lot of money convincing people to use various poisons to kill subterranean termites. The fact is that termites are the natural prey of birds and insects such as flies, beetles and ants.

Ants are an extremely persistent predator to termites. An ant colony can obliterate the bulk of a termite colony, making the use of harmful pesticides unnecessary. This is great news if you don't mind a lot of ants around. Many people don't like any insects around, so they have exterminators deal with ants, termites and beetles. Others may not mind ants, but may confuse ants and termites because of their similar anatomy and call the exterminator anyway.

Flying ants and flying termites, referred to as "swarmers," look extremely similar to those unfamiliar with their differences. If you're trying to determine if you are looking at an ant or a termite, keep these three main points in mind: wing length, abdomen width and antennae shape. The first thing to look at is wing length. A termite has four wings, all of which are the same length. While an ant will also have four wings, the back wings are shorter than the front wings. Next, consider the abdomen width: termites have an abdomen the same width as their rear body, whereas ants have a very thin abdomen. Finally, termites have straight antennae, while ants' antennae are bent.

If you're concerned about ants chewing through wood in your house to create colonies, rest easy: The reality is that ants don't do that. Instead, they inhabit corridors created by termite colonies. They will infiltrate the colony, eradicate the termites and then use the termites' former home as their own. Ants that don't eradicate the termites will use hollows in doors, logs and other wooden structures to build their colony.