What Do Termites Look Like

What do termites look like? Identifying termites is the first important step in combating them.

Did you know what termites look like yet?

As many of you know, termites can cause significant damage to your home and property. That’s why you’re trying to kill them.

But how to kill termites if you don’t even know what termites look like.

This post will help you answer that question in detailed.

So, What Do Termites Look Like?

Termites are soft-bodied insects, typically brown, gray, or white in color, and they live in colonies where each member has its own special role.

Termites look similar to ants. In fact, most people describe termites as white ants.

They have difficult when telling the difference between termites and ants, but this picture below can help you identify termite very easily:

This is what termites look like to the human eyes

Look at the picture, you have seen that termites have soft bodies and do not have any body armor.

Their bodies are wide from head to abdomen and are divided into three main parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

• On their head, termites have a distinctive pair of straight antennae that look like small beads connected together (in comparison, ant’s antennae is bent into an elbow shape). Termites have no eyes, so they do everything by scent and feel!
• The thorax is subdivided into three segments and is the part of the body where movement is based. Termites have three pairs of legs – one attached to each segment on the thorax (Termite Swarmers have 4 equally sized wings that are double of its body).
• The abdomen of termites is where the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and reproductive systems are located.

Top 5 Pictures of Termites

It’s better if you take your time to learn on what termites look like by checking these termites pictures below.

Drywood Termite

Formosan Termite

Subterranean Termite

Subterranean Termite Colony

Subterranean Termite Infestation

There are over 2700 different species of termites on the world and 45 species have been found in the United States. Each species has a different characteristic.

They vary in size (termites can range from 1.6 to 12 millimeters inch in length) organization structure, nutritional characteristics… but they have in common is building nests and living in a colony.

The termites colonies consists of several groups: termite soldiers, termite swarmers, and termite workers.

What Termite Soldiers, Termite Swarmers, Termite Workers and Termite Queens Look Like?

Termite workers have small body and limb to develop. They have the largest number, about 70-80% in termite colonies.

Termite workers

Termite workers shoulder all the work in the colony as nest building, road construction, transfer the eggs, water suction, feed baby termites…

In fact, termite workers are responsible for most of the damage termites cause.

Termite soldiers look much like worker termites but they have larger heads and pairs well-developed teeth (this is their weapon).

Termite Soldiers

They have the responsibility of defending and protecting their colony.

Termite queen has an elongated white body, the reproductive section, with a smaller dark head section. She is the largest termite in the termites colonies.

Pacific Dampwood Termite King (left) and Queen (right)

The king termites look like a dark version of worker termites, but is larger.

In the case of Dampwood termites, the difference in size between queen and king termites isn’t as great.

Termite swarmers are small, black, ant-like head with two white (or gray) wings that give of a slightly violet sheen in the light. They tend to be attracted to light.

Termite Swarmers

So now you might already know what termites look like. Are you ready to kill them and deal your problem?