Flying Ants

As the weather warms up you might notice swarms of flying ants.  It is a common occurrence where members of the colony leave the nest and head off in search of somewhere to set up a new home.

It’s highly likely that the insects you have seen are not actually ants, but are in fact termites!

Every Spring, usually on the first very warm humid evening, winged termites (called alates) will leave the nest.  Ant alates do the same thing, although more often in the summer months.

So how do you know if you’re looking at ants or termites?

Winged termites look very different to winged ants, firstly because they are brown and not black.  They have long slim wings of equal length and a broad waist rather than a pinched waist.

Once they land, they will drop their wings and it’s very common to see alate wings in spider webs or other areas around the home.

If you see flying termites or their wings in or around your home, it means that there is a termite nest nearby.  Call us to book a termite inspection.