Winged Ants In Attic

It s highly unlikely ants will bite or sting you while they re flying so don t run headlong into any mating swarms and you should be fine.

Winged ants in attic.

Depending upon distribution and cold weather conditions ants may be as likely to nest outdoors as indoors especially in many parts of the warmer more southerly portions of their distribution also the preferred indoors locations and food preferences of the ants listed below may vary to some degree since there is a lot of species specific variability among ants. Interestingly though flying ants also known as swarmers or alates aren t actually a different variety of ant at all. Flying ants may seem more formidable than their tiny ant counterparts. If the ant species bites like a carpenter ant the winged carpenter ants can still bite if they feel threatened.

It is the queen ant that survives this stage so that she can establish a colony of wingless ant. Ants in the walls. Carpenter ants have built a reputation for shaving through wood making holes and tunnels that damage it. The female flying ant however only sheds its wings.

While it would be unusual to have an entire colony in your attic it is not unheard of. Ants will build nests where ever they can find a suitable area to do so. Whether the winged ant you see is a carpenter ant or a termite however the wings mean that the insect is a reproductive male or queen the only members of an ant colony that can reproduce. The good news here is that the ants are visible to you and they are still going outdoors to forage which means they will walk through areas that that you treat outdoors.

If you spot a cluster of flying red ants or a full blown flying ant infestation the first thing you ll want to do is repair or replace the rotted wood. Ants could damage your attic in as few as six months. Ants and termites swarm to mate then the males die having done their duty and the queens drop their wings to find a nesting. Flying ants can be seen out in the open and nest in wood in which they tunnel.

Flying ants swarm to mate. Outdoor ant populations must be kept under control to prevent them from moving inside. While flying ants won t cause damage to your home they can. As is clear from the name flying ants they are ants with wings.

These pests will swarm in late spring and the early summer when there s bright sunlight and warm temperatures. When ants do this to your attic structures it could significantly compromise its stability and your roof could cave in any. Once the male and the female flying ants mate the male flying ant dies. Outdoor ant baits are a viable option to help control outdoor ant activity that s happening around your yard but ants won t always prefer the same type of bait so it is best to use both ant liquid bait and ant granules place bait stations near ant trails and check and refresh the bait on a weekly basis.

They are most commonly found nesting in wet damp and or rotting wood but may also be present in dry wood. Ants develop wings in their reproductive phase of life. Flying ants swarm for the same reasons that termites swarm which is to reproduce and expand their colonies.