If you have been caught in a swarm of some kind of flying insect in your living room, you have a vested interest in deciding whether they are flying ants or termites. Anybody can use a few pointers to distinguish the anatomy of one swarming insect from the other. Their bodies, wings, and reproductive cycles differ, though both can pose problems to your furniture or house.

One easy difference to notice between termites and flying ants is their shape. An ant's body has three individuated segments: the head, thorax, and abdomen. The joints where they meet look like a neck and a waist. Yet a termite's two segments, the head and the thorax, look more like one piece. Species of ants have a variety of colors, from red to brown to black, but swarming termites are usually shiny black.

Another simple anatomical difference is their wingspans. Although both kinds of insects develop two pairs of wings just to mate, reproduce, and found new colonies, their wings look dissimilar. A termite's back wings are visible beneath the overlaying front wings. If you outstretch both pairs (on a dead specimen), you'll see they're actually the same length. On a flying ant, the back wings hide beneath the front wings, so they are shorter. Their wings have tiny, visible veins. It's easy to knock off the wings of a termite, so you'll probably see them scattered around the site of a swarm.

Finally, a noticeable difference between flying ants and termites are their antennae. Look closely and you'll see that ant's antennae curve or bend inwards, topped by a ball called a club. But a termite's antennae gently point outwards without any kinks, bends, or knobs at the end. To further identify them, you'll more likely find termites around wood, where they nest and feed, such as in the rafters in the attic or old furniture. Most ants, of course, prefer the kitchen where they snack on sweets like sugar or fruit.

Ants and termites in their swarming or flying stage are merely fulfilling one cycle of reproduction. Ants go through a "complete" metamorphosis, which means they develop from egg to larva to pupa to adult, or "alate." However, termites only go through a gradual metamorphosis when they go from egg to nymph to alate. During reproduction, a male winged ant mates with a female winged ant. The male dies and the female flies to create a new colony. With termites, both males and females join each other to travel to another place.

If you determine your new insect neighbors to be termites, you may need to take measures to eliminate the infestation. Certain species of ants, too, could pose a risk to the structural integrity of your home. Carpenter ants chew up wood much like termites. In these cases, it's best to consult an expert in pest extermination.