Is It a Termite or a Flying Ant?
By the Clark Pest Entomology Team
Last updated: October 28, 2026
Quick answer: Winged insects with a thick, straight waist, straight antennae and four wings of equal length are termites. Flying ants have a pinched waist, bent antennae and longer front wings. Clark crews see three kinds: drywood, dampwood and subterranean. Each one leaves different clues. Match yours below.
Which Termite Did You Find?
Start with where you found it and what it looks like. Tap the closest match.
Western Drywood Termite
Orange-brown head, dark abdomen and smoky wings. Lives inside dry wood above ground, often in attics, and doesn't need soil contact.
Dampwood Termite
The biggest of the three, up to an inch with wings. Goes for wet, rotting wood like old stumps, logs and leaky framing.
Subterranean Termite
Small, dark brown to black. The colony lives underground and travels to your wood through pencil-thin mud tubes.
Drywood vs Dampwood vs Subterranean: How to Tell Them Apart
Size and color narrow it down fast. Where the damage sits narrows it down the rest of the way.
| Termite | Swarmer size | Color | Where the colony lives | Clue to look for |
|---|
| Drywood | 7/16 to 1/2 inch with wings | Orange-brown head, dark brown abdomen, smoky wings | Inside dry wood above ground, like attic framing | Smooth tunnels cut across the grain, sealed with droppings |
|---|
| Dampwood | 3/4 to 1 inch with wings | Light to dark brown with a yellow or reddish tinge | Damp, decaying wood such as stumps and logs | Large termites near wet or rotting wood |
|---|
| Subterranean | About 3/8 inch with wings | Dark brown to black | Underground, then up into wood through mud tubes | Mud tubes on foundation walls and spring daytime swarms |
|---|
Termite or Flying Ant? Check the Wings, Waist and Antennae
This is the most common mix-up, and it matters. One is a wood eater. The other usually isn't.
Look at three things. Termite antennae are straight and bead-like. Ant antennae bend like an elbow. Termites have a thick waist, while ants are pinched in the middle like an hourglass. A termite's four wings are all the same length. An ant's front wings are longer than the back pair.
University of California researchers publish the same three-point check in their UC IPM termite guide. If you're still not sure, save a few in a jar and take a clear photo.
What You Found Points to the Termite
Wings on the windowsill
Swarmers shed their wings once they land. A small pile of matching, see-through wings near a window or door means a colony nearby produced a swarm. Subterranean swarmers fly in daylight in spring.
Mud tubes along the foundation
Pencil-thin tubes of dirt on a foundation wall or crawl space beam point to subterranean termites. They use the tubes to stay out of the dry air.
Smooth tunnels or tiny pellets in wood
Drywood termites cut chambers with smooth, clean walls and seal them with their own droppings. If you tap a beam and it sounds hollow, don't dig into it yourself. Book an inspection.
Soft, damp wood near a leak
That's dampwood territory. Fix the moisture and the wood stops being attractive. Holes with fine powder in older wood could also be a powderpost beetle, which needs a different plan.
What to Do When You Spot Termites
Stay calm. A swarm doesn't mean your house is falling down, and damage takes time.
Save a few insects in a jar or on clear tape. Photograph any wings, tubes or damaged wood. Then have a trained inspector look at the whole structure. Clark offers termite inspections and can walk you through treatment choices, including structural fumigation when it fits the job.
How to Make Your Home Less Inviting
UC IPM suggests keeping a 12 inch gap of concrete or coarse sand between soil and structural wood. Clear wood piles, old fence posts and buried scrap from beside the house. Keep crawl spaces ventilated and dry, and repair leaks quickly.
Clark's Expert Insight
A swarm is a clue, not the whole story. It tells you a colony is close, but not where it is or how big. A technician has to inspect the wood itself to know.
Termite Questions Homeowners Ask
What bugs look like termites?
Flying ants are the usual look-alike. Check the waist, antennae and wings. Termites have a thick waist, straight antennae and four wings of equal length.
Do termites fly?
Only the winged reproductive termites, called swarmers, fly. They leave the colony to start new ones, then shed their wings. Worker termites never fly.
How big are termites?
It depends on the type. A drywood swarmer is 7/16 to 1/2 inch with wings. A subterranean swarmer is about 3/8 inch. A dampwood swarmer can reach 3/4 to 1 inch.
Are there termites in California?
Yes. Clark crews deal with drywood, dampwood and subterranean termites. Drywood termites are mostly found in coastal areas, and dampwood termites like cool, damp coastal conditions.
What do termite mud tubes look like?
They look like thin lines of dried dirt, about the width of a pencil, running up foundation walls or support beams. Subterranean termites build them to travel between soil and wood.
I only found a few winged bugs. Should I still call someone?
Yes. A few swarmers can mean a bigger colony is hidden in a wall or under the floor. An inspection will tell you for sure.