HELP! Do termites look like tiny ants?
Question:We have been finding tiny insects that look like ants in our bathtub lately. The walls of the tub enclosure are coming loose at the bottom, and lately we will find a little pile of sand (?) on the edge of the tub or down in the tub, and there are lots of tiny ant-like creatures swarming on it.
Could these be termites? Is there such a thing as an ant that eats wood? They are roughly an 1/8 of an inch long.
Yuck!
Answers:
Most likely they are ants.Yes some ants will eat or nest in wood,if there is a moisture problem then you have a condition conducive to ants and termites.The best bet is to call a professional in for a free inspection and I.D. the insects.Many ants will swarm just like termites and around the same times.They look similar but both like the same conditions.Call a pro and then repair the tub enclosure which could lead to even greater problems.
Yes ants eat wood. Termites are white.
Tiny white ants. Beware of their poo too. And they create a lot of methane gas from their chewing so methane will be among the gases in your home.
Look you have termites, they are "swarm termites". How do i know? Because each day after work, I'd come home to a bathtub FULL of them. There were so many it gave me chills. I live in an older apt building and it's not the greatest up-to-date bathtub, it happens every year about this time. I looked it up online cause i didn't know what the heck those disgusting little critters were. Termites. Just call a pest control and they will handle everything.
Termites are definately white so that's not what you've got.
There is such a thing as a "carpenter ant" that eats wood. Most ants though, don't.
Do your ants like sweets? Most do. Leave something sweet in the bathtub and see if they like it. If they do - you have nothing to worry about.
I had carpenter ants once and they were biggish (maybe 1/4 inch) black ants. They seemed very busy - I'd see trails of them crossing the carpet. Don't know where they came from or where they went. (Didn't care. I was renting that old house.)
They had a season. I'd see them for a few weeks - and then not again till next year.
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