A homeowner took to the internet for advice after finding a “happy little family” of insects near their home, only to get a devastating response.

Reddit user MurderousRaising took to the r/whatisit sub on May 5, where they shared a photograph of a wooden wall outside of their home, covered in winged insects.

They had tried searching online for what the insects were, but were unable to confirm whether they were flying ants, or worse—termites, as they titled the post: “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

In the United States alone, there are over 40 different species of termites, the most common being subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. The insects primarily feed on wood, and can cause severe damage in a person’s home, according to pest control company Orkin.

The Reddit user pleaded on the post, which has more than 25,000 upvotes: “Please help and advise.

“The retaining wall isn’t connected to my house but is close enough for this to be terrifying.”

And unfortunately, the response to their post was damning; as one person put it: “It’s not what you think it is. Unless you think it’s termites. Then it’s exactly what you think it is.”

“I feel for you, it is not an inexpensive treatment,” another said.

But one user, who said they worked in pest control, gave the user some hope as they explained: “Those are definitely swarmer termites, BUT, to give you some good news, generally, swarmers are not looking to eat wood, but are trying to get into the ground to make a colony.

“So, even if you are seeing them present on wood, they aren’t generally looking for food, and won’t be eating anything at this point in their life cycle, so you have some time before it can become a big old fat problem.”

At the reproductive stage, winged termites emerge from existing colonies to form new nests. A swarm of these winged termites can indicate a large colony nearby, and are usually visible after heavy rainfall or warm, humid temperatures, according to Orkin.

And while flying termites can look similar to flying ants, there are some differences: ants have a constricted waist, while that of a termite is straight-sided. Termite antennae are also straight, compared to ant antennae which bend at a 90 degree angle.

If you see winged termites in your home, it could be indicative of a serious infestation, which can eat through the interior of wooden supports of your home, and may only become noticed when the wood in the home cracks or collapses.

In the Reddit user’s case, they said they had so far only noticed the termites in the garden, and not in the house, but had called an exterminator to check out the situation.

Newsweek has contacted u/MurderousRaisin via Reddit for comment on this story.