"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message ...
Guv Bob said:


About 1/2-inch long. Found outside the house but no termite droppings anywhere
around.

Looks like termite except that one place said termites' wings are easy to break off and
this one was not. Also illustrations show termite antennae as being straight or slightly
curved and flying ants' as being like elbows. Can't see in the photo, but this one is
elbowed.

http://imageshack.us/a/img841/5194/bug03.jpg

Where are you located? It's not the season for winged termites in the northern US
(spring is normally when they swarm).

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but that *might* be a brown lacewing.
Brown lacewings are beneficial insects; their larvae are voracious aphid predators.

Do you still have the insect? Do you have access to an entomologist through the
Cooperative Extension Service?



Hi Pat, yes, I'm afraid it's definitely a termite and not a brown lacewing. I'm in So Calif. A few of these started showing up inside the house when the temp got up to 95-100 degrees. Now that it has dropped back below 85, they have disappeared.




If termite, what is an effective pesticide that I can use for spot treatment without
hiring an exterminator? I see a lot of borate-based materials online but I notice when I
have used them for ants, it doesn't work unless you mix in with something sweet that
attracts them (this info is never on the labels...)

Termites actually feed on wood and have no interest in the sort of baits you would use
for ants. Treating a house for an active termites really is a job for professionals, who
will have the know-how and tools (and access to chemicals that you need to be licensed
to use).

Once you sure they aren't eating your house out from under you, there are bait stations
design for termites that you can use to guard against future infestations.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Yes, swooping is bad."

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