Ants or Termites?
Posted by Lisa Halfen on June 7, 2006
Q: do ants and termites live together? I lifted a landscaping brick outside my home and found ants and something that looked like an ant but it had wings.. there were many holes in the ground and they both were going in and out of the tunnels in the ground
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Maryland
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: To the best of my knowledge, ants and termites do NOT live together. Be sure to check out our unit on ants vs. termites at www.enaturalist.org The illustration has a flying termite so maybe this is why you're a bit concerned about the insects you found? Ants also have winged individuals when they're ready to mate. At some point in the life of a colony, several female and many male ants are produced that have wings. These ants leave the colony, mate, and then the females begin a new colony. I think you just stumbled onto a colony with winged ants that hadn't left on their mating flight yet. If your insects have a pinched waist, you probably have ants, not termites. Thanks for asking and I hope this makes you feel better.
John Wiessinger ( June 7, 2006)