I suddenly have like a few dozen or more of these groupings on certain areas of my back cedar fence and all over my ligustrum hedge. First noticed in the past week.

Termites? I don't see any sort of termite mounds anywhere. Can I just nuke them with poison I have on hand (i.e. wasp killer and raid)? Or should I call a pest control company? I don't particularly care about the fence (is in poor shape anyway) or hedge long-term (also not in awesome shape from freeze) so looking for cheapest options. Don't see them on my house or a nearby live oak.

Location : Sugar Land, TX

I'm not much help, but I had had them at my place two years ago. Freaked out cause I thought it was termites.

While I waited to find out they disappeared and I found out they weren't termites.

Good luck.

thanks...looked them up and they look very similar. Think that's it. Looks like they're beneficial, so guess I'll leave them alone even though my fence looks like something out of a horror movie.

Definitely bark lice

Bark Lice.....good guys !

Had those in my lake house. Drove me crazy, kept coming from every crack. Was hitting the house for a remodel and sucked every last one of them up with a vacuum. Sprayed that area and haven't seen them since. They're not termites, I believed they are carpenter ants.

You may have had carpenter ants at your place, but the pic posted by the OP are NOT ants or a pest. They are Bark Lice and are considered beneficial insects.

Beneficial Bark Lice

I know the picture is fuzzy, but did you look at it?