Flying ants are normally most active in the warm days of late spring and summer, and the behavior often leads to new colonies being formed. However, many male flying ants die immediately after mating and not all queen ants survive to start a new colony. Though frustrating to have winged ants in the house, controlling their population isn’t as hard as it seems. The following tips will help you to identify, eliminate, and prevent the influx of flying ants in your home.
3 Ways to Get Rid of Flying Ants
Handle the Immediate Problem
You can get rid of obvious swarms with a vacuum, whether a handheld or full-sized vacuum with a hose attachment. Immediately remove the vacuum bag and get it out of the house so the ants can’t find their way back inside. Spray pesticides will also kill visible ants, both crawling and flying. But these will not affect the hidden colony, which will continue breeding more ants until it is addressed. Sprays should be used with great caution when used indoors. If you feel strongly about the safety of commercial pest treatment, try a natural version by mixing dish soap and peppermint oil. Fill a spray bottle with one part liquid soap, two parts water, and a few drops of oil, and then spray the ants and the surrounding area. The soap immobilizes and eventually dehydrates the insect, while the peppermint oil suffocates them.
Attack the Colony
As with any ant infestation, you will not rid your home of all the ants unless you attack the colony where they are breeding. This colony is the source of the flying ants, and is best addressed by setting ant bait. Ant bait is generally a sweet substance mixed with borax or another substance that disrupts the ants’ reproduction cycle. The ants pick up the bait and take it back to the nest, where it kills the entire colony. As an alternative, insecticidal dust can be injected into the area where the ants are living. This is a solution best handled by a professional exterminator, and it requires that you pinpoint the exact location of the ant colony.
Replace Damaged Wood
If you see a swarm of winged ants indoors—especially if you spot them during the winter months when they are most likely breeding—there is a strong likelihood that there is a flying ant nest within your home. That can be quite a serious problem, as flying ants are second only to termites in their ability to do structural damage. Flying ants are larger than normal house ants, as much as 1 inch long. If flying ants are the species infesting your home, it’s important to remove and replace any rotten, decaying wood in the walls or under the floors, as this decaying material is what fosters the ant colony. This can sometimes be quite an involved project if the damage is extensive, probably requiring the work of a professional contractor. But you can’t guarantee that you’ve fully rid your home of flying ants unless you have removed the decaying wood that they nest in.
What Causes Flying Ants?
Flying ants are found in the home for the same reason as crawling ants: there are sources of food and moisture and areas for establishing colonies. Most species of ants feed on ordinary food substances, and they can colonize in almost any dark, hidden area. If you see flying ants, it means the hidden colony is well established, capable of fostering reproducing ants. However, if you identify flying ants, it’s because they have found decaying wood somewhere in your home, probably hidden in the walls near ground level or under the floors. Flying ants don’t eat this decaying wood like termites do, but they use it to carve out tunnels and galleries in which to nest. The presence of flying ants means there is decaying wood somewhere.
How to Prevent Flying Ants
The best way to prevent any ant species from infesting your home is to eliminate food sources. Make sure foods are kept stored in closed containers, and keep floors and countertops uniformly clean. Sweet or greasy materials are especially attractive to ants. Make sure pet foods are stored in tight containers, and keep spilled pet foods swept up. Even if you think the ant problem has been treated, there’s always the potential for another swarm in the future. Seal any cracks around the windows and baseboards or in the walls to stop a possible second invasion. To prevent flying ants, make sure to regularly inspect and repair decaying wood. Structural walls near ground level can be especially prone to rot, especially in warm, damp climates and when homes are built on slab foundations.
Flying Ants vs. Termites
Flying ants take flight to mate, gathering in massive clusters, then return to an existing nest or seek out a new one. Flying ants do not bite, and they pose no danger to humans. However, winged ants look a lot like termites—a pest that can be a significant problem if you don’t treat them properly. Identify the insects by looking for key features:
Termites: The wings are an equal length, the antennae are straight, as is the abdomen.Flying ants: The wings are unequal in length, the antennae are bent, and the abdomen is thin, with a clearly visible “waist.”
While flying ants will carve out tunnels and galleries in decaying wood in order to nest, termites actually consume the wood, which means the damage they cause can be much more severe.
Reading Product Labels
Commercial ant baits and insecticides can contain a wide range of natural and synthetic substances—although there are alternatives to pesticides. Read the labels carefully before using the products. Boric acid or other borates are usually mixed with sugar or syrup to make baits attractive to ants. These baits lure forager ants that bring the bait back to the colony, where it kills all ants, including the flyers. Boric acid is fairly low in toxicity to people and animals, but it is toxic to plants. This is one of the safer choices you can make for a commercial ant bait. Indoxacarb baits are used for fire ant control and are packaged as granular formulations. Indoxacarb is designated by the EPA to be a “reduced-risk” pesticide. Methoprene and pyriproxyfen are insect growth regulators that inhibit the development of insects from one stage to the next. They are used primarily for the control of fire ants. Growth regulators can be toxic to fish and aquatic life. Make sure to dispose of baits in a manner that prevents them from reaching water supplies. Hydramethylnon is found in many baits packaged as gels, liquids, and granules, and is used for Argentine ants, flying ants, fire ants, and others. The EPA has classified hydramethylnon as a possible (group C) human carcinogen. Imidacloprid, clothianidin, acetamiprid, and thiamethoxam are neonicotinoid pesticides, used mostly to control indoor ants as a gel or liquid formula. Neonicotinoids are somewhat toxic to humans and can be absorbed through the skin. Fipronil is used for the control of fire ants, Argentine ants, and flying ants, among others. Products are formulated as gels, granular, liquids, and impregnated materials. Fipronil has been classified as a “possible human carcinogen” by the EPA. Metaflumizone baits are used for fire ant control in granular and pelleted products. This insecticide is characterized by low acute toxicity in human and other mammals. Fenoxycarb is used in some products targeting fire ants, packaged as granular formulations. This insect growth regulator is low in toxins for humans and birds but can harm fish and aquatic life.
