Do Termites Bite? No. Here's What's Actually Biting You
No, termites don’t bite people, and they don’t bite dogs or cats either. They eat wood, not blood, and they spend their lives hidden inside soil, mud tubes and lumber. If you’ve found bites on your skin and termites in the house, the termites are a real problem for your home, but something else is biting you.
Why termites don’t bite people
South Carolina’s termites are subterranean termites. A colony has three kinds of termite, and none of them is built to bite you:
| Termite | What it looks like | What it does | Bite risk to people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workers | Small, wingless and whitish | Eat wood and feed the colony | None. They stay inside wood and soil |
| Soldiers | Like workers, with long, dark jaws on a large head | Guard the tunnels against attackers such as ants | Their jaws are for fighting ants and rival colonies, not people |
| Swarmers | Brown or black, four wings of equal length, about ¼ to ⅜ inch | Fly out in spring to start new colonies | None. They don’t feed while swarming |
Descriptions are from Clemson Extension’s subterranean termite factsheet and NC State Extension’s guide to eastern subterranean termite biology. Both describe termites as a threat to wooden structures, not to people.
What about flying termites?
Swarmers don’t bite either. They’re the winged termites that pour out of a mature colony on a warm spring day, often after rain. In South Carolina, Clemson Extension notes that native termites usually swarm in early spring, often in the afternoon, while Formosan termites on the coast swarm from mid-May to July, often in the evening and toward lights. A swarm indoors is harmless to you, but it’s one of the clearest signs a colony is living in or under the house.
Flying termites are easy to confuse with flying ants. Termites have straight antennae, a thick waist and front and back wings of the same length. Ants have elbowed antennae, a pinched waist and longer front wings.
Quick answers to the questions people search
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do termites bite humans? | No. They feed on wood, not people |
| Do termites bite dogs or cats? | No |
| Do termite bites itch? | There’s no such thing as a termite bite on a person. Itchy bites came from something else |
| Do flying termites bite? | No. Swarmers don’t feed while they’re swarming |
| Do termites sting? Are they poisonous? | No stinger and no venom |
| Do “white ants” bite? | ”White ants” is an old name for termites. They don’t bite people |
| Are termites harmful to people? | Not to your health. They’re harmful to your house |
What’s really biting you
A bite rarely identifies the bug. University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter notes in his guide to mystery bites that bug bites are hard to diagnose, even for physicians, and that some itchy reactions aren’t caused by bugs at all. Where the bites are, when they show up and what you find nearby narrow it down.
| Where and when you get bitten | Most likely culprit | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| In bed, on the face, neck, arms and hands; sometimes in a line | Bed bugs | Rusty spots on sheets and mattress seams, shed skins, live bugs in the folds |
| Ankles and lower legs, at home, especially with pets | Fleas | Pets scratching; tiny dark insects that jump |
| Outdoors, any exposed skin, day or evening | Mosquitoes | Standing water in the yard, gutters and containers |
| Feet and legs, burning right away, then white pustules | Fire ants | Loose, fluffy mounds of soil in the yard |
| Sock lines, waistbands, behind the knees, itch starting hours later | Chiggers | Recent time in tall grass, brush or woods |
| A single bite with something still attached | Ticks | A tick embedded in the skin |
Bed bugs
Bed bug bites look a lot like mosquito or flea bites: slightly swollen, red and itchy. According to the CDC, they show up after sleeping, on the face, neck, arms and hands, and can be random or in a straight line. Some people don’t react at all. Bed bugs aren’t known to spread disease, but they’re hard to get rid of with store-bought products, which usually just scatter them. Check mattress seams, box springs and headboards for live bugs, shed skins and rusty spots. See our bed bug treatment page for how we handle them.
Fleas
Flea bites cluster around the ankles and lower legs, because fleas jump onto you from the floor. Penn State Extension notes that the cat flea, the flea most often found on both cats and dogs, bites people too. The bites are small, red, hard and itchy. Clemson points out that fleas thrive in South Carolina’s warm, muggy summers, and getting rid of them means treating the pet, the house and the yard together. Start with your vet, then see our flea control service.
Mosquitoes
If the bites happened outside, mosquitoes are the usual answer. Around Greenville, most of the biting comes from the Asian tiger mosquito, the black-and-white striped daytime biter that breeds in anything holding water: buckets, toys, plant saucers and clogged gutters. The bites are itchy bumps that fade in a few days. See our mosquito control service.
Fire ants
All of South Carolina is under the imported fire ant quarantine. Fire ants sting rather than bite, and you’ll know right away: it burns. Clemson’s first aid guide notes that the red bumps sometimes turn into fluid-filled pustules. Look for loose, fluffy mounds in sunny parts of the yard. Our ant control covers fire ants, and every year-round plan treats fire ants within 15 feet of the home.
Chiggers
Chiggers are larval mites, not insects. Clemson says they gather where clothing is tight, like sock lines and waistbands, and that the itch doesn’t start until three or more hours after they feed, then can last days or weeks. They don’t burrow into skin, despite the old myth. If you were in tall grass or brush the day before, suspect chiggers.
Ticks
A tick usually announces itself: it’s still attached. The lone star tick is common across the South and, according to the CDC, is “a very aggressive tick that bites humans.” The adult female has a single white dot on her back. Its bite can transmit ehrlichiosis and other illnesses, and growing evidence links it to alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat. Remove ticks promptly, and see a doctor if a rash or fever follows. See our tick control service for the yard.
When to see a doctor
Most bites fade on their own. Get medical care for a high fever, a severe headache or body aches after a bite, a bull’s-eye rash, or a rash on the palms or soles after a tick bite. Call 911 for trouble breathing, major swelling or other signs of a severe allergic reaction to a sting. These signs come from Clemson’s first aid guide.
If you’ve seen termites, don’t ignore them
Termites won’t hurt you, but they will hurt the house. Mud tubes on the foundation or crawl space walls, piles of discarded wings on windowsills, or wood that sounds hollow are all reasons to schedule an inspection. Mack’s termite control service includes inspections, liquid barrier and bait treatments, annual monitoring and CL-100 reports for home sales. On a year-round plan, Enhanced adds a yearly termite inspection, and Ultimate adds termite protection with a re-treatment bond. Compare them on the packages page.
Not sure what’s biting you? We’ll find out. We’ve been tracking down pests in South Carolina homes since 1983, from Greenville and Columbia to Charleston. Request a free estimate or call 864-235-9611.