Some people mistakenly call termites "white ants" when seen in the ground, and "flying ants" when they are swarming. Maybe your next question is "Who cares?"  But it's important to know, because measures for controlling the two pests vary.

 

Termite Straight antennae No waist line Front and back wings exactly same size

Ants Elbowed antennae Narrow waist line Front wings much longer than back wings

 

 

 

 

Biology of a Termite

Termites are soil or wood inhabiting eusocial insects which generally have soft, white bodies and secretive habits. Most termites eat dead plant material, which is digested with the help of bacterial or protozoan symbionts in their gut. Globally, termites play an important role in reducing dead plant material, but they can be quite destructive to human built structures.

In many species of termites the nest is simply the cavities in the wood as the termites eat, but in African and Australian grasslands some termites construct large nests of soil which is cemented with feces and saliva. In tropical rainforests Nasutitermes species attach their nests of chewed plant material and feces to trees, fence posts, and other above ground locations. Nasutitmermes workers construct covered walkways from their nest to foraging areas.