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What Are Flying Ants?
7/15/13
Most likely you are no stranger to ants. You’ve seen foraging ants in the kitchen, have spotted these common pests creating mounds in pavement cracks or marching in a line headed for a destination unknown to you. But have you by chance spotted flying ants in or near your home? What are these and why do they have wings when other ants don’t? Keep reading to find out the answers to your questions.
Flying ants are actually the reproductive members of an ant colony. Also called swarmers, these winged ants appear during certain times of the year in search of a mate and to start a new colony (lucky for us right?). Once a queen has mated, she will typically lose her wings. Sadly for the reproductive males, they die soon after mating.
Though most types of ants in New York are nuisance pests and do not pose a significant threat to your home or family, carpenter ants are a bit more worrisome. This species establishes colonies inside homes and buildings and will excavate in damp and/or damaged wood. If you notice swarming carpenter ants inside your home or even nearby, you should consider contacting an exterminator to evaluate your problem as a carpenter ant infestation left un-treated can result in severe damage.
The other problem with swarming carpenter ants is that the swarming insects you see might actually be winged termites and not ants. Termites are another wood destroying insect that can cause extensive structural damage in both homes and businesses. While carpenter ants do not eat wood but simply create galleries, termites actually do consume wood and though both are pests no one wants to encounter in the home, it is important to identify the insect so that the correct treatment is performed.
Ants with wings vs. flying termites
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Both pests have two sets of wings but where termite swarmers have front and back wings equal in length, flying ants have larger wings in the front and shorter ones in the back.
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Termites have fairly straight, beaded antennae while ants have antennae that are elbowed.
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Another way to tell these insects apart is to take a look at their bodies. Swarming termites have broad bodies whereas flying ants have pinched abdomens and a body shape that resembles an hourglass.
If you’ve spotted ants with wings on your property or are not sure if you are witnessing flying ants or flying termites, you should contact a pest control company for proper identification and treatment rather than attempt to get rid of them on your own.
If you are worried about flying ants or termites in New York or Connecticut, contact Parkway Pest Services. Offering comprehensive ant control as well as termite control in Long Island, Westchester County or elsewhere in the NYC metro and Fairfield County, CT since 1932, Parkway’s experienced and licensed NY exterminators ready to get rid of flying ants and other insects on your property.