When termites get to the stakes, the top of the stakes will pop up showing you that there are termites approaching. This means that you can then employ other more effective methods for controlling termites.

The advantage of these stakes is that it’s better to have a pop up indicator to show you that there is a problem. This is more cost effective then later finding out you have a serious termite infestation.

The disadvantage is that there is a chance that termites could find their way between the stakes. If you don’t have a chemical barrier around the soil in the foundation of the your house, the termites can get in.

But for the cost the termite stakes are extremely inexpensive.

It’s important to identify the difference between flying ants and termites. Termites are dangerous to the structure of your home and take some serious pest control to get rid of while flying don’t. If you make the mistake on which is which, you could end up paying too much money for pest control or doing too little to end the termite problem.

There are three main characteristics to look for in the different between the flying ant and the termite.

Antennae Difference

A flying ant will have an elbowed or bent antennae.

A termite will have a straight, beaded antennae.

Body Difference

A flying an will have a very narrow waist much smaller than the rest of the body.

A termite will have a waist that is thick like the rest of the body.

Wing Difference

A flying ant will two sets of wings that are a difference size from each other.

A termite has two sets of wings but they are the exact same size.

Other Differences

Termites also have signs like wood shavings and wings left all over the ground around the areas that they are in. If you do have a termite infestation, this should be fairly obvious.

Apperance Differences

Carpenter ants tend to be about a half inch to one inch long.  They are black in color.  It’s hard to distinguish a carpenter ant from another type of ant but easy to see the difference from a termite.

Termites on the other hand are smaller than carpenter ants and tend to be white in color.

Damage Differences

Most of the time both are seen as the same problem: bugs in the walls messing up the wood.  To an extent this is true, but there are some differences.

Termites tend to eat through the wood while their nests spreads outwards.  They get other material like mud and build their nest in the walls.

Carpenter ants tend to burrow their way through the wood.  They make smooth passages for their colony and lay eggs in these passages.  If the wood damage looks nice, smooth, and circular it’s most likely carpenter ant and not termites.

Look for these differences because knowing which pest problem to fight will help you get rid of the pests much quicker.