Do Termites Look Like Worms?

Need to get rid of termites? Read on to learn the answers to all your important questions. Need help? Call our professionals today to get started.

What Do Termites Look Like?

You are more likely to find the signs of termite damage than you are of finding termites themselves, however, it is important to be able to recognize termites as a means of determining what kind of infestation you have in your home. 

Termites are small insects that often look, in both size and shape, a lot like a typical house ant. There are three different kinds of termite: worker, soldier, and reproductive termites. Reproductive termites are slightly bigger than the other two kinds of termites and will have wings. These are the termites you might see in your home since they are the only termites that leave the nest and are often confused with flying ants due to their antennae, wings and darker coloring. Soldier termites are a little smaller than their reproductive colony-mates and a little bigger than their worker counterparts. They have distinctively shaped heads with protruding mandibles which they use as weapons to defend the colony against any would-be intruders. Soldiers have elongated bodies that are pale red, light brown or white. Soldiers and reproductives make up anywhere from 2 to 10 percent of the termite colony. So, what does the other 90 to 98 percent of the colony look like?

Do Termites Look Like Worms

In short, yes and no. Most of any termite colony is made up of worker termites. Worker termites are responsible for most of the work of the colony including the digging of tunnels and the construction of shelter tubes. These worker termites are responsible for all the damage to your home as they are the ones that consume the cellulose, or wood, and use this to feed the members of the other castes. Termite workers are made up of young nymphs who take care of most of the caretaker tasks like feeding and grooming the whole colony, while older worker termites will do the more dangerous jobs of foraging and nest building. 

Worker termites are about 1/8 of an inch in size, are milky white and have no eyes or wings. Termites’ bodies are soft, with hard mouthparts that are able to break apart wood and other cellulose material. In this respect, if you saw many worker termites from a bit of a distance, you may mistake termites for worms or even maggots. The biggest difference is that termites have antennae and legs which means that unlike worms or maggots, termites don’t just wiggle, they can walk quite quickly. 

Call A Pest Control Specialist

Truly, no matter what you are seeing in your home, if it looks like a big group of worms, maggots or termites, you should call a professional to help eradicate your problem as soon as possible. While worms are less of an issue, termites are something you don’t want to waste time on nipping in the bud. Contact Pest Control Experts today to find the best pest care professional who can inspect your home and devise the right plan for your particular situation and needs.