Termites and ants

Termite or ant? How to tell swarmers apart

A termite swarmer has straight, beadlike antennae, a thick waist and four wings of equal length. A flying ant has elbowed antennae, a pinched waist and front wings longer than its back pair. Here is how to run all three checks in a minute, when each swarmer flies in Central Texas, and who to call for each.

By the Bastion Pest Control team Licensed and insured in Texas Last updated September 28, 2026

Cover for the termite or ant guide: Formosan termite swarmers on a trap beside a diagram comparing a termite swarmer and a winged ant

Sourced to Texas A&M AgriLife

Texas Department of Agriculture licensing rules

We refer termite work to specialists

Phone answered 24/7

The short answer

Antennae: Termite straight and beadlike, ant elbowed
Waist: Termite thick, ant pinched
Wings: Termite four equal, ant front pair longer
Who to call: Termites: a termite-licensed company. Ants: us

The termite vs ant call takes three checks: the waist, the antennae and the wings. Termites swarming indoors are an almost sure sign of infestation, but the swarmers cannot damage wood and live about a day.

Prefer to listen? One minute 20.

The short version, read aloud. Read by a synthetic voice, not one of our technicians.

Termite vs ant: the ten-second answer

Check the waist first: a termite swarmer is thick through the middle, with straight, beadlike antennae and four wings of equal length, while a flying ant has a pinched waist, elbowed antennae and front wings longer than its hind wings. If termites came out indoors, call a termite specialist. If they are ants, the stakes drop.

Test	Termite swarmer	Flying ant	Source
Waist	Thick, "abdomen broadly joined to thorax"	Pinched, "distinctly pinched waists"	Mississippi State, ENT-2012
Antennae	Straight and "beadlike," no elbow	Elbowed, bent "at a ninety-degree angle"	Texas A&M field guide, Travis County AgriLife
Wings	Four "long, equal-length wings"	Four, "two long and two relatively short"	ENT-2012
Wing veins	Wings "tend to have a lot of veins"	"All wings will have few veins"	Travis County AgriLife
After the wings drop	"Wing stubs, called 'scales'" left on the thorax	Sheds wings too, so fall back on the waist and antennae	Travis County AgriLife, ENT-2012

Stop at the first clear answer. For flying ants vs flying termites, the waist works best on a live insect, and veins help most with a loose wing.

What do termites look like next to a flying ant?

The termite on your windowsill is a winged reproductive, also called a swarmer or alate. Flying ants vs termites comes down to marks a phone camera can catch. Photograph the insect on a white paper towel and zoom in.

The three tests from Texas A&M's ENT-2012 Swarming insects indoors: ants have distinctly pinched waists, antennae that bend sharply in the middle, and four wings of unequal length, two long and two relatively short. Termites have straight-sided bodies and long wings of equal length, and the Field Guide to Common Texas Insects describes their antennae as beadlike. Illustration: Bastion Pest Control.

Size is not one of the tests. The ranges overlap.

Size will not settle it

Published body lengths of the swarmers you might find in Central Texas. The ranges overlap.

Ant and termite swarmers, generalTexas A&M ENT-2012

3/16 to 3/8 in

Native subterranean termiteReticulitermes

1/4 to 3/8 in

Formosan subterranean termitedetected in Travis County

12 to 15 mm

Carpenter ant swarmersCamponotus

1/4 to 1/2 in

Texas leafcutting ant queenbody length

about 3/4 in

01/4 in1/2 in3/4 in

Termites
Ants
Both, general range

Lengths from Texas A&M: ENT-2012 Swarming insects indoors, the native subterranean and Formosan termite pages, ENT-2001 Carpenter ants and the Field Guide to Common Texas Insects for the leafcutting ant. The Formosan range is 0.47 to 0.59 inch. Read on 2026-09-27.

A Mississippi State Extension entomologist beside a close-up of termite swarmers in a door frame — One minute from an urban entomologist at Mississippi State University Extension on telling termite swarmers from ant swarmers. Source: "Termite Swarmers" MissStateExtension on YouTube, published 2025. It was filmed in Mississippi and shot as a vertical phone video, so it plays with dark bars at the sides. The Central Texas timing is in the swarm clock below.

When do termite swarmers and flying ants show up in Central Texas?

Termite swarmers in Texas can fly in any month, but Texas A&M says swarms are most common from February to May. No source we found gives Travis County months, so the clock below uses the statewide ones.

The Central Texas swarm clock

When each swarmer flies, and at what time of day, as the Texas sources put it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Native subterranean termitesmost common February to May, usually March and April, by day

most common February to May, usually March and April, by day

Formosan subterranean termiteslate May and early June, at night, drawn to lights

late May and early June, at night, drawn to lights

Red imported fire antsspring and fall, afternoons after rain

spring and fall, afternoons after rain

Carpenter antsMay through late July

May through late July

Texas leafcutting antsApril to June, clear moonless nights, usually after heavy rain

April to June, clear moonless nights, usually after heavy rain

Months named by the source
Season named by the source
Wider window named by the source

Sources: Texas A&M ENT-2002 (native subterranean termites, February to May), Texas A&M ENT-6002 (native swarmers usually March and April), Texas A&M urban entomology (Formosan subterranean termites), Texas A&M fire ant project (red imported fire ants), Texas A&M field guide (carpenter ants), Texas A&M field guide (Texas leafcutting ants). No Texas source we verified gives months for fire ant flights, only spring and fall, drawn here as March to May and September to November. Drywood termite swarm months are not published for Texas and are left off. Read on 2026-09-27.

Formosan termites swarm at night, and Travis County is on Texas A&M's detection list for them. The same page says there is little chance of encountering them outside the upper Gulf Coast. The rest of the year's pests are in our Austin pest calendar.

Where it swarmed matters more than what it was

Does a termite swarm mean the house has termites? It depends on where it came out.

Inside the house

A few swarmers can drift in from outside, but Texas A&M still calls indoor swarmers a reliable signal of infestation. Killing swarmers is optional clean-up, not a termite treatment.

Out in the yard

Finding termites in a fence or woodpile does not necessarily mean the house needs treatment. Check the foundation for mud tubes anyway.

What waiting costs

University of Kentucky entomologists say the damage from taking "an additional day, week, or month" to decide is generally inconsequential, and the TDA is blunter: "Do not panic."

Years are different. Subterranean termites cause about $500 million in damage in Texas each year, and Texas A&M rates the chance of damage within 25 years for an unprotected home as "very high." Termite damage is also not typically covered by homeowner's insurance, per a 2016 AgriLife Today report.

If it was ants

In most cases, an indoor flight with no workers before it should not be a cause for concern, and fire ant swarmers indoors usually indicate an outdoor nest against the foundation.

Workers that keep coming back are a colony problem, and that is the part we handle through ant control. A technician traces the flight to its source and treats the colony rather than the flyers. Ant control in Austin covers the local side, and our services page shows what a plan includes.

Carpenter ant vs termite damage looks nothing alike

The carpenter ant vs termite question is often easier to settle from the wood than from the insect. Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They nest in it and push the waste out, and Texas A&M says they generally are not as damaging as termites.

Frass under a small hole. Carpenter ant frass is wood shavings plus tiny fragments of dead ants and other insects.
Clean, smooth tunnels. Carpenter ant galleries usually follow the grain, and the walls are clean and smooth.
Mud-lined galleries. Termite-damaged wood is hollowed out along the grain, with bits of dried mud or soil lining the galleries.
Mud tubes. Earthen shelter tubes on piers, near utility openings, or on foundation walls and slabs are a sign of termite infestation.

What to do in the first 24 hours after termites swarm inside

Found flying termites in the house, at a window or around a light fixture? Work through these in order.

Keep a few, intact. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) suggests you save several of the swarmers in a plastic bag for the inspector. Photograph them or put the bag in the freezer.
Note where they came out. The room, the wall, the window or the crack.
Vacuum the rest. They will not live past about a day anyway.
Walk the foundation. Look for mud tubes on the slab edge, on piers and around utility openings.
Call a termite-licensed company. In Texas that is the Termite and Wood Destroying Insect Control category.
Check the license by phone. The TDA's Structural Pest Control Service will confirm a company's license by phone at (866) 918-4481.

What not to do after an indoor swarm

Do not crush them. The waist and antennae are the evidence.
Do not sign in the driveway. There is time to compare two inspections.
Do not rule out termites because there are no wings. Check for wing scales and a thick waist.

We do not do termite work, and we say so up front. Termite jobs go to a company licensed by the TDA in the termite category. Our Austin pest control cost guide covers what termite specialists and wood destroying insect (WDI) reports involve.

For an answer from someone with nothing to sell, Travis County AgriLife Extension helps identify swarmers at 512-854-9600.

Common questions

What do termite wings on a windowsill mean?

If they are termite wings, termites swarmed inside, an almost sure sign of infestation. Check one wing to be sure: termite wings are similar in size and heavily veined, while ant wings are unequal with few veins. Maryland Extension describes the termite sign as piles of silvery, membranous insect wings, all about 1/4 inch long, on floors, windowsills or in spider webs.

Are flying ants a sign of termites?

No. Flying ants are ant reproductives on a mating flight, a different insect with elbowed antennae and a pinched waist.

Do termites swarm at night?

Some do. Native subterranean termites swarm in daylight during the spring, usually after rain. Formosan termites swarm at night in late May and early June and are attracted to lights.

Are carpenter ants as bad as termites?

Generally, no. Their damage is usually limited, because they tunnel rather than feed. Indoors, the frass under a small hole tells you more than the ant does.

Winged insects on the windowsill right now?

Call and tell us where they came out, or send a sharp photo through the contact form. Ants, we handle. Termites, we will say so and show you how to check a termite company's license.

Call 843-480-8699 Same-day service most days.

About this page

Written and reviewed by the Bastion Pest Control team in Austin, Texas. Every test, date and rule on this page comes from Texas A&M, the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas rule text or another land-grant extension service, all retrieved on 2026-09-27. The 24-hour checklist order is ours. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

Sources

Answered 24 hours · Austin, TX

Found winged insects inside? Send us a photo.

One sharp close-up is usually enough. If they are ants, we will tell you which kind and what we would do. If they are termites, we will say so and point you to a licensed termite company, because termite work is not a job we take.

843-480-8699 Request a free quote Ant control