Thread: What made this tunnel? Termites, fire ants or ?

The first picture shows a mud tunnel made by termites or maybe fire ants, which are common here in the Austin area, or maybe something else. The tunnel goes to a PVC drain pipe for the water heater pan.

The second picture shows an ant hill a few feet away, which I assume has fire ants but am not sure about.

Do bugs other than termites make tunnels like this? If so, are they destructive? Do you have suggestions for controlling these pests?

tunnel.jpganthill.jpg

That looks more like an ant shelter tube to me.

Originally Posted by Bob Hucker

The first picture shows a mud tunnel made by termites or maybe fire ants, which are common here in the Austin area, or maybe something else. The tunnel goes to a PVC drain pipe for the water heater pan.

The second picture shows an ant hill a few feet away, which I assume has fire ants but am not sure about.

Do bugs other than termites make tunnels like this? If so, are they destructive? Do you have suggestions for controlling these pests?

tunnel.jpganthill.jpg

I'm not a pest control expert but my go to guy says that the only redeeming quality of fire ants is that they kill termites. Quite often fire ants will move in to a termite colony and kill of the residents. So you may have termite tubes with fire ants there. My guy says fire ants always win this battle.

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

I'm not a pest control expert but my go to guy says that the only redeeming quality of fire ants is that they kill termites. Quite often fire ants will move in to a termite colony and kill of the residents. So you may have termite tubes with fire ants there. My guy says fire ants always win this battle.

How should I determine whether I have ants or termites? Try to capture them when I scrape the tunnel off the wall?

Originally Posted by Bob Hucker

How should I determine whether I have ants or termites? Try to capture them when I scrape the tunnel off the wall?

Of course, get a pest control professional to take a look.

But in the mean time, break the tube open, (without destroying the whole thing) just a small section all the way across so you can see the the inner passages. You should be able to see the termites inside if it is active. Also if it is an active termite tube they should rebuild the tube in short order. Lots of photos available to identify the differences between termites and ants.

Rob: I am in agreement with the information Jim has provided. Based upon the loose form and size of the tunnel, I tend to think the tunnel is a fire ant tunnel and not termites, but once you break the tunnel you will be able to tell quickly, if the tunnel is active. The termites workers will be small and white and since they are about 80% water, any lite or exposure has them running for cover. If they were fire ants we know they would be running to you to attack you. Termites are like candy to fire ants so when you see fire ant mounds close to the foundation like that become very suspicious that termites could be there as well. Not always, but good possibility. I recently had a house with at least four fire ant tunnels up the side of the foundation and one even went into the garage..... but no termites to be found. I was sure we were going to find termites, but we did not.

Subterranean termites are soft bodied insects that cannot survive outside of a shelter tube..(except swarmers during the rainy season). That's my 2 cents.

If they were fire ants we know they would be running to you to attack you.


I don't want to be you uncovering the fire ants , - you will know really quick if they are fire ants. But Education doesn't come cheap

If you want to get rid of them , call in someone who deals with fire ants , from what I understand the bit(s) really hurt and remember there many more of them than there is of you.

Originally Posted by Dwight Doane

If they were fire ants we know they would be running to you to attack you.


I don't want to be you uncovering the fire ants , - you will know really quick if they are fire ants. But Education doesn't come cheap

If you want to get rid of them , call in someone who deals with fire ants , from what I understand the bit(s) really hurt and remember there many more of them than there is of you.

Let's not make them out to be space aliens. They will leave you alone unless you poke a stick in their mound. We have lots of them down here, rarely get bit, and while it stings some, it doesn't send you to the ER...

Originally Posted by Dwight Doane

If they were fire ants we know they would be running to you to attack you.


I don't want to be you uncovering the fire ants , - you will know really quick if they are fire ants. But Education doesn't come cheap

If you want to get rid of them , call in someone who deals with fire ants , from what I understand the bit(s) really hurt and remember there many more of them than there is of you.

IIRC of fire ants (red) its not a 'bite' that bothers one, its a Sting - from the lower section, that irritates. Not a crisis, unless one is particularly sensitive or allergic.

In the south, south east, and southwest everyone pretty much "deals" with them, at one pont or another in life, Mr. "Boston".

Originally Posted by Dom D'Agostino

while it stings some, it doesn't send you to the ER...

Some people are very allergic / go into shock ( my Brother being one.) Clorox helps some of these.
** taken from web

**Yes, I use bleach and it's literally been a life saver for me. I'm deathly allergic to ants. I go into anaphylactic shock which can cause death by suffocation within minutes. If I'm at home when I get a bite, I apply a cotton ball soaked in bleach and it prevents an allergic reaction. It's a whole lot easier than rushing to the ER or injecting epinephrine and Benadryl and then sleeping it off for the next 12-18 hours.

Disclaimer: This may not work for everyone. If you're allergic to ants, be sure to keep epinephrine & Benadryl around just in case

Bob, as a TREC inspector, you can't even mention the word "termite" without a termite technician's license. Before I got my tech license, I used to take my clients into a closet away from prying eyes and talk termite. After I got my license, I came out of the closet.

Originally Posted by Dom D'Agostino

That looks more like an ant shelter tube to me.

Break the tube open and if there is anything active in the tube they will come out. If the tube is not currently active, break more of the tube down to the base. If the tube disappears into just hard dirt or mud, it is probably termites. If the base divides into lots of little holes or tunnels and the dirt is fairly soft then it is fire ants. To see what I mean, go to a fire ant mound and knock a little dirt off the top and you will see lots of little tubes and the dirt is soft. If the ants are active they will come out by the hundreds. That's when you just back off and leave them alone.

Come on, ya can't tell me you didn't poke it with a stick! That is just a natural impulse for guys!

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

Come on, ya can't tell me you didn't poke it with a stick! That is just a natural impulse for guys!

Stick? I don't need no stinkin' stick!