Facts About Flying Ants and How to Get Rid of Them

Unless you’re dealing with a swarm of flying red fire ants — which are considered destructive pests in some countries — flying ants aren’t typically dangerous.

Similar to wingless ants, flying ants only become bothersome once their population grows in numbers in a particular location. For example, if you’ve ever encountered a red ant, you would know the level of pain their stings produce. You won’t experience the same with flying ants, as they will most likely not bite you.

What do you need to know about flying ants and how do you get rid of them?

• Origin of flying ants
• Swarm patterns
• Threat level
• Difference between flying ants and termites
• How to get rid of flying ants

You’ve probably been made aware of many kinds of pests in your lifetime. It would be easy to imagine that you’ve encountered most of these pests in your home and have struggled to find the perfect solution to get rid of them. The first rule in properly eradicating these pests, of course, is to conduct your research in order to understand them. For example, it would be in your best interest to know the most common flying ant facts so that you’ll come up with an effective way of controlling their swarm.

You may think that ants are typically wingless pests, but as these insects reach a certain level of maturity, they eventually develop wings, making them even more of a headache when it comes to their extermination.

Continue reading to learn more about these pests and the best methods to control their population once they begin invading your home.

Origin of flying ants

Ants develop wings only during certain seasons. When you spot swarms of flying ants, this simply means that they have sexually matured, have left their colonies, and are ready to reproduce in unmitigated numbers.

The sole purpose of these ants is to reproduce in order to expand their colony. With regards to their appearance, flying ants — also called winged ants — are characterized as having elbowed antennae, thin waists, with front wings bigger than their hind wings.

Female flying ants are typically larger in size compared to their male counterparts. They appear most commonly after a day of heavy rain.

Swarm patterns

As mentioned before, flying ants appear only during certain times in a particular season. They mostly fly in swarms because gathering in larger groups is considered as a more effective way of protecting themselves against predators.

In order for flying ants to travel in different clusters, there are certain environmental conditions that would need to be met. These ants typically appear during the early hours of the afternoon when the rays of the sun are beating down heavily. The reason for this is that flying ants are heavily attracted to bright spaces. Aside from this, these pests also appear only during low winds, high humidity, and relatively warm temperatures.

In the Philippines, these ants would most likely appear around after three to five days of rain when all of these conditions are met.

Threat level

Unless you’re dealing with a swarm of flying red fire ants — which are considered destructive pests in some countries — flying ants aren’t typically dangerous.

Similar to wingless ants, flying ants only become bothersome once their population grows in numbers in a particular location. For example, if you’ve ever encountered a red ant, you would know the level of pain their stings produce. You won’t experience the same with flying ants, as they will most likely not bite you.

Difference between flying ants and termites

Your home’s structure might encounter some problems if you’ve mistakenly identified a flying termite as a flying ant. Though both these insects have wings, wings of termites are more similar to one another, compared to the wings of flying ants.

Regarding body shape, termites are also more uniform, whereas flying ants typically appear to be more segmented.

While flying termites do not directly cause any harm to your home, their presence should serve as a clear sign that regular termites have invaded your house’s wood structuring. The most effective way of preventing termites from further infesting your house is to hire a dedicated pest controller to assess and inspect the building.

On the other hand, flying ants don’t generally cause any problems for your house, aside from the obvious level of irritability they might bring.

How to get rid of flying ants

Now that you have learned about the most basic facts you need to know about flying ants, it would be in your best interest to know the most effective solutions in eradicating their population.

Once you spot swarms of flying ants around your house, you would need to make the necessary adjustments, like choosing low lighting, blocking entrance points, and assembling water traps.

Choose low lighting

Similar to many insects, flying ants are attracted to sources of light. As a preventative measure, you may want to choose dimmer lighting in areas of your home which you don’t frequently use. But once they’ve started infesting your kitchen, for example, you would need to turn off the light. For more information on creating an environment with dimmer lighting, Click Here.

As an extra precaution, you may also want to use an electric bug zapper that can attract these flying ants.

Block entrance points

These pests can enter your home through the gaps in doors and windows which you may not normally notice in the beginning. As such, an effective method of preventing the entrance of flying ants is to temporarily block and seal these narrow gaps using large pieces of cloth and some adhesives.

Assemble lamp water traps

Lamp water traps are highly effective in attracting flying ants. These devices can easily be assembled using common household items such as soap or dish washing liquid, a sturdy lamp, and a bowl of water.

You would first have to create a soapy mixture which you would have to pour onto the bowl. Afterwards, place the lamp beside it inside a darkly-lit room in order to attract the pests.

Key Takeaway

Though flying ants appear only during certain times in a particular season, it’s still important to equip yourself with the most useful flying ant facts in order to identify them. While the primary purpose of these pests is to proliferate, they can be invasive when they swarm parts of your home. Adopting appropriate eradication practices is key to eliminating the population in your home.

The guide above has hopefully provided you with a starting point on identifying and subsequently eliminating flying ants in your area.