What Causes Flying Ants in Your House?

When the warmer starts or during humid times of the day, you might notice flying ants swarming around lights both indoors and outdoors. You might be dealing with an ant infestation now, but to see these ants flying ants swarm should be taken as a sign that the infestation is nothing near its end.

These ants flying around your home are not going out of their colony just for any simple reason, they are out there for one reason. Learning the reason behind the presence of these flying ants will also help you figure out the current level of ant infestation in your home. It will also help you recognize when the situation requires the help of professional pest control.

It may be the last thing that you want to see around your home, but ants fly. It is common knowledge that there are worker ants and queen ants inside an ant colony. However, you should know that there are also called reproductive ants. These are the only winged ants in the entire colony.

When the conditions become favourable and the colony is set to spread, hundreds of ants start flying together and meeting in huge swarms. These are the only ants that were born to breed.

As these ants meet in the swarm, flying male and female ants will mate and reproduce. It is considered the mating season for all the ants before the queens move and start their new ant nests.

Almost half of the males die immediately after the breeding swarm because they have already fulfilled their purpose in life. On the other hand, females will go back to the ground and consume their own wings to get protein. They will then burrow to the ground, hoping that they can start their new colony and become the queen of a new ant nest.

Without their wings, ants will not be able to get involved in this nuptial flight. Thus, decreasing their chance of breeding and creating their new colony.

With all of these in mind, you should know that these ants are in their mating season the next time you see a swarm. While this is a common sight outdoors, you should be alarmed once you start spotting a swam of these flying insects indoors.

If there flying ants in your home and swarms are starting to be seen in some parts indoor, then it is almost certain that there is a large ant colony in your house. The colony may be already so large that they already feel that they are ready to spread to a new nesting site and make new ant nests.

Termites are also known to have breeding ants that fly and reproduce. However, unlike the flying ants, termites can make more damage to your home. You have to figure out which one you are dealing with to know your pest control options. If you confirm that you also see them inside your home, then you must contact pest control in getting rid of these swarming ants. 

Unlike termites, carpenter ants are more likely present outside. Also, termites eat the wood they are tunnelling in while ants only nest in it but do not consume it. Another difference is the frass or soil, wood dust, and insect parts that carpenter ants leave on the openings of the nests. Termites do not leave such on their nest openings. However, both are destructive to homes.

Always remember that it is not enough to kill flying ants that you see around since the colony is still in your home or within the proximity of your home. If the colony survives, more flying members will be produced by the next mating season. This season is usually during early summer or spring.

There are some pest control methods that you can try to get rid of flying ants and keep them out of your home. Try doing the ones below:

Since the presence of flying ants can be detrimental to your home and property. The following are ways you can do to control these pests and prevent any damage from getting worse:

Do these things to help in preventing the infestation from getting worse and get rid of flying ants using your chosen treatment methods work against these flying ants.