Wood-boring pests can burrow through the beams and rafters in your house, whittling away at its structure and endangering your family and pets. Termites and carpenter ants, two common culprits, are often mistaken for each other since they both cause damage to wood, but their reasons for chipping at your home are very different. To help you understand what to tell an exterminator, here are some of the ways to tell these two types of pests apart.

Termites

Known for consuming wood, termites result in an estimated $5 billion in damage each year in the U.S. alone. These pests can vary in color, including beige and black, but most are termites are 6 to 12 millimeters long. Exterminators often identify them by their rectangular bodies, single pair of wings, and straight, beaded antennae. 

Carpenter Ants

Unlike termites, who eat wood, carpenter ants bore into it to make galleries, or places to lay their eggs. Since they only create holes on wood, the damage they cause is considered far less severe than that caused by termites. 

They have black, brown, or red-tinted bodies, and can range from 3.4 to 13 mm in length, making them comparable to termites in size. Unlike their wood-eating counterparts, the bodies of carpenter ants consist of three sections with a waist-like area, and their antennae are bent like elbows. Carpenter ants also only have wings some of the time, but when they swarm, you’ll see two pairs of wings instead of one.

If you need an exterminator to help you deal with termites or other bugs, get in touch with Joy Exterminators. With over 50 years of experience providing pest control in Marietta, OH, Parkersburg, WV, New Martinsville, WV, St. Mary's, WV, and Beverly, OH, their exterminators offer services including bee removal, cockroach control, and spider extermination to ensure your home is free of insects. Visit their website to see what they do, or call (740) 473-2739 to schedule a service.