Most calls for termites turn out to be flying ants. Flying ants and swarming termites are often difficult to tell apart. Termites have relatively straight, beadlike antennae while ants have elbowed antennae. Ants also have two pair of wings but the fore wings are much larger than the hind wings. The abdomen of the termite is broadly joined to the thorax while a narrow waist called a petiole joins the abdomen and thorax of the ant.
Termites swarm mostly in late summer early fall.
Dampwood termites and Subterranean . Subterranean are very rare here but can be extinguished by mud excavating tubes. Dampwood are always found in wet wood. However, termites could not feed on wood without the help of symbiotic protists living in their guts. Trichonympha is only one of several such protists found in the guts of termites.