Spring is the time for renewal, the garden is beginning to bloom, and vegetables are being planted.It is also the time for millions of insects to get ready to pack and leave their homes in search for new housing!
Insects like most things in nature have a cycle, one in which they hunker down for the winter, stay indoors and wait.The other cycle, the one we are entering is a time that includes mass production of young, rebuilding of nests and preparation for kicking their children out of the house.
This phenomenon may have little importance to you unless the colony of termites just happens to live next door to you or the nest of ants is residing along-side the foundation of your home. If this is the case then the emergence or expulsion of young adult insects into your surroundings will have an immediate and significant impact on your home and the people living in it!
In most cases you cannot stop this natural release from happening, but understanding it may allow you to sleep at night instead of sitting in your attic with a flashlight and a can of bug-spray.Further and perhaps more important being able to identify the difference between a flying ant and a flying termite might be the difference between contacting your attorney or your local pest control professional.Let me explain how this might happen; imagine that you have recently bought an home in North San Diego County, where the average home these days is going from $800,000 to $3,000,000 depending on zip code.Further, imagine that you just received an inspection report from escrow that stated that the structure is clear of all wood destroying organisms.Then on one clear sunny day hundreds of flying creatures suddenly appear in your living room and you panic.Who is your next call to?
So, a simple class in Entomology would be a great place to start.If you remember basic biology you probably already know that both termites and ants are insects, but that is where the similarities end.Even though both creatures have three main body sections, the way that those sections are divided is the key to identification and the difference between doubling up on your Prozac and sleeping well at night!
If you look at the diagram below you will immediately see what I am referring to:
All ants have a wasp-like waist between the abdomen (the tail end) and thorax (the middle section); this is probably because ants are indeed related to wasps.This is easily seen with or without a magnifying glass.
For the next six months or so several species of termites and ants will leave the nest in hopes to find a mate, who just happens to look just like mom, and new digs to set up housekeeping with his or her new best buddy!If these are ants swarming into your home a simple vacuum cleaner will scoop them up and off to the garbage can goes the vacuum bag.You will probably want to call a pest control professional to find the original colony so this occurrence doesn’t become a regular event.However, if it turns out to be termites then you need to find out if the “mother-ship”, where all the nasty flying creatures emerged from is in you’re newly purchased home or the neighbor’s house.If the source of these creatures is in your home, then someone has some explaining to do. If it’s in your neighbors home, hand him the card of your favorite pest control operator and wish him luck!
So, it is true that knowledge is power and in this case a sure way to keep your blood pressure in check.
This article written by Herb Field was published in The San Diego Daily Transcript on July 20, 2006 as part of the Forensic Consultants Association Newsletter. Herb Field is an Urban Entomologist with Entomology Services, Inc.
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