# Is this a termite?



## Blazin (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm asking because my Dad and I have never seen anything like this.  It was walking across the workbench in his garage.

A little backstory.  My sister brought me a pickup load of old cedar and pine posts from her ranch.  She also had a few things to take to our Dad's.  Could this little bugger have survived in -25F temps?  Also, any advice on how to look for a nest would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## soupy1957 (Feb 6, 2011)

Don't know what the heck that is, but.............don't want them in MY house!!

-Soupy1957


----------



## loon (Feb 6, 2011)

wow! that thing is ugly.  but i dont think it is?

http://www.termitenewyorkcity.com/more-about-termites/species/


----------



## shawneyboy (Feb 6, 2011)

I don't think its a termite, I actually have no idea what the heck it is.....  Will be following this thread to see if someone can answer.

Shawn


----------



## fishingpol (Feb 6, 2011)

Hard to tell from the picture, are the eyes the little dots on top of the head?  It also looks like 8 legs, 2 tucked in the front.  If so we're looking at a spider.  Termites seem to have antennae on top of their heads.  Insects have 6 legs, arachnids 8 legs. Doesn't look like a beetle larvae either.  What state does your dad live in? It might help in id.


----------



## TomB (Feb 6, 2011)

Ask Andrew Zimernin (sp?) from Travel Channel... He eats stuff like that... Sorry, my "Book of Bugs" does show this creature. Check for any others like it or any wood damage.


----------



## loon (Feb 6, 2011)

kinda looks like this?

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=42093


----------



## gzecc (Feb 6, 2011)

Looks to me like a young cricket or young ant of some sort.


----------



## burntime (Feb 6, 2011)

Uncle Bob! :lol:


----------



## wood spliter (Feb 6, 2011)

WOW!  That thing looks nasty!


----------



## NH_Wood (Feb 6, 2011)

Not a termite. Looks like a young spider - the large front 'appendages' look like chelicera. Looks like 8 legs - can you check? Termites (and other insects) have 6 legs (3 pair) and spiders and allies have 8 (4 pair). Cheers!


----------



## gregp553 (Feb 6, 2011)

Unless that thing is the size of a chihuaha, that's an amazing camera you used.  Don't think it's a termite either.


----------



## FireBurn (Feb 6, 2011)

OMG it looks like a CAMEL SPIDER KILL IT


----------



## Blazin (Feb 6, 2011)

Yes, it looks exactly like a camel spider.  But, how the heck did it get to  Montana?  This is more than a little disturbing, because we haven't gone anywhere near the middle east.  lol

He's about 1/2" long and he was really pissed off when we caught him.


----------



## FireBurn (Feb 6, 2011)

I know that some can be found in Arizona


----------



## Later (Feb 6, 2011)

Not an NE subterranean termite for sure. Too much color.

Try this site.
http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/What is this pest.htm


----------



## LLigetfa (Feb 6, 2011)

Legs are way to big for it to be a termite, even if it had 6 legs.  It would need to bore very large tunnels to fit through them.  We have spiders here that look similar except black and man, can they jump!


----------



## Fechmup (Feb 6, 2011)

Disregard - dumb suggestion...


----------



## Blazin (Feb 6, 2011)

FireBurn said:
			
		

> OMG it looks like a CAMEL SPIDER KILL IT



You are correct.  Don't know how it got to Montana, but here is a link.

http://www.camelspiders.net/spiderpictures.htm


----------



## NH_Wood (Feb 6, 2011)

Fechmup said:
			
		

> A wasp or bee larvae???



No - they look like typical 'grubs' (no legs, etc) - no large mouth parts (chelicera) which seem present in the pic. Cheers!


----------



## LLigetfa (Feb 6, 2011)

Blazin said:
			
		

> FireBurn said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ja, Montana seems to be out of the way but they are in the US and Mexico.


> Most people don't know that the camel spider can also be found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. While the recent buzz is all about the Middle Eastern camel spider, its North American cousin has no shortage of tall tales. In Mexico, they're known as matevenados, which means "deer killers."


----------



## joel95ex (Feb 6, 2011)

termites can be ID'd by their non-segmented body---- it tx we have 2 types of houses---those with termites and those that will have termites.....  but that looks like some kinda nasty hybrid spider....ewww


----------



## szmaine (Feb 6, 2011)

Blazin said:
			
		

> FireBurn said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



According to one story in your link, they can make a sweet and cuddly pet...answer to their name...I think you should keep it.  ;-)


----------



## WoodPyro (Feb 7, 2011)

I knew right away it was a camel spider, saw a ton of them in Iraq, we actually sorta had a fighting pit with them.  Also saw some in the desert in California training but the American southwest ones are generally much smaller.  They do not have colonies like ants or termites.  I believe they are actually scientifically between real spiders and scorpions if I remember correctly.  Don't let them get warm, they move insanely fast and have seen a couple nasty bites from them.


----------



## zzr7ky (Feb 7, 2011)

In the stove with 'em!!


----------



## jozzy99 (Feb 9, 2011)

Camel Spiders...i'm doing a research project on them!


----------



## DonNC (Feb 9, 2011)

http://www.spiderzrule.com/wind.htm

On that site they ID spiders and that page is for your guy.  There is one person on there that says they are in sw montana. The rest are from TX to CA

I dont know if he gets as big as his Iraqi cousin


----------



## Adabiviak (Feb 15, 2011)

That's a solfugid. I haven't heard them called camel spiders before, but the few I've seen in the wild have been here in California Sierras, where we get snow annually. They come out at night and run pretty quick. I've only ever seen three of them.


----------



## Jthomas (May 8, 2014)

Blazin said:


> I'm asking because my Dad and I have never seen anything like this.  It was walking across the workbench in his garage.
> 
> A little backstory.  My sister brought me a pickup load of old cedar and pine posts from her ranch.  She also had a few things to take to our Dad's.  Could this little bugger have survived in -25F temps?  Also, any advice on how to look for a nest would be greatly appreciated.





Blazin said:


> I'm asking because my Dad and I have never seen anything like this.  It was walking across the workbench in his garage.
> 
> A little backstory.  My sister brought me a pickup load of old cedar and pine posts from her ranch.  She also had a few things to take to our Dad's.  Could this little bugger have survived in -25F temps?  Also, any advice on how to look for a nest would be greatly appreciated.


Hi, I found 3 of these in my home in  northern Ca. I thought it was a termite but it had 8 legs.. Do I asked Clark's pest control and he told me it was a potatoe bug.. I knew it wasn't.. So happy I found the answer to this ugly mystery bug


----------



## Lake Girl (May 9, 2014)

Camel spider, also known as sun spider, usually are found in arid climates but have been found in other areas in the US...
 The places where you are most likely to encounter a solifugae/Camel spider is: California, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. 
https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120909154656AAxBMwa

Apparently non venomous but bites are pretty nasty with primary concern of infection.  They are beneficial in that they do eat other pests...


----------



## BEConklin (May 9, 2014)

Lake Girl said:


> Camel spider, also known as sun spider, usually are found in arid climates but have been found in other areas in the US...
> The places where you are most likely to encounter a solifugae/Camel spider is: California, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
> https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120909154656AAxBMwa
> 
> Apparently non venomous but bites are pretty nasty with primary concern of infection.  *They are beneficial in that they do eat other pests.*..



They are also beneficial in that they do not live anywhere near Connecticut.


----------



## Paulywalnut (May 12, 2014)

I hope that's zoomed up. That thing is huge.


----------



## SKIN052 (May 12, 2014)

FireBurn said:


> OMG it looks like a CAMEL SPIDER KILL IT


I have been to the middle east and dude that looks EXACTLY like a Camel Spider, freaks me out, yuck!


----------

