Are there flying ants in your home? Wait, do ants have wings? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. You might think of ants as typically wingless, at certain times of the year when these pests gain a certain level of maturity, some of them develop wings.
These winged ants are called alates and are reproductive. Seeing these ants flying around your house can be a two-fold nightmare as they can go anywhere in your house and reproduce to make a new nest, but fortunately getting rid of them isn't too hard.
How To Identify Carpenter Ants With Wings
While most ants and ants with wings are relatively harmless as they are scavengers that clean up the environment however, there also exists many species of carpenter ants capable of producing alates and those are the ones that you really have to look out for are carpenter ants as there are many species of carpenter ants with alates in the United States.
All of them nest in wood which if left unchecked can cause significant damage to your home. So, here's how to identify them and eliminate them as soon as possible once identified:
In general, flying ants are bigger than your typical worker ants and can be brown, black, or reddish. Carpenter ants are some of the largest ant species with their workers being 1/4-5/8-inch (0.64-1.6cm) long, with their queen being almost three times larger.
Their coloring can vary but typically tends to be black or dark brown and also includes reddish-orange and yellow. The flying carpenter ants are larger than the workers, and have a rounded thorax with a pinched waist. Carpenter ant wings are brown tinted and come in two sets.
Identify Them By Sound
It's also possible to discover carpenter ant infestation by hearing a nest from a distance. The activity of the ants in a nest is described as a gentle rustling sound or crackling noise. So if you suspect ants in a wood or your walls, tap it and listen for those signs.
Another indicator is hearing a hollow sound when knocking wood as the wood structure is compromised and made lighter, and seeing visual wood damage or sawdust piles all over your home.
How To Control Carpenter Ants With Wings
There are several ways to control the carpenter ants in the house by utilizing various methods. We will start with DIY solutions and slowly progress towards chemical or bait treatments.
Keep in mind that the most effective and lasting form of control is going straight to the source. Here are several recommendations made by our experts on how to get rid of carpenter ants using DIY solutions:
Replace any wet and damaged wood materials belonging to your homes, garages, sheds, and other wood-framed structures proactively to prevent a potential carpenter ant infestation. Carpenter ants prefer to nest in moist or damaged woods as they are easier to nest in.
If they are already nesting then it's even more important to remove and replace them before they spread out any further. Also, repair any conditions that may have caused the damage such as roofing or plumbing leaks.
2. Eliminate Paths of Contact
Eliminate any direct contact and other possible paths between your structures and the surrounding soil, plants, or mulch which can be used by the carpenter ants to migrate to your home. This may not work for carpenter ants' alates but it will at least prevent the moving in of carpenter ants when it's not alate ant season.
Trim all nearby trees and shrubs away from your home, keep any wood materials away from the ground, and seal any cracks or openings in the house foundation.
Ants utilize pheromone trails which are essential exploration and discovery of food sources and carpenter ants are no exception. You can eradicate these pheromone paths leading them to your home by cleaning the surfaces regularly that ants may have walked on.
It would be even better and more effective if you wipe the surfaces with a cotton ball dipped in a solution that is equal parts water and vinegar or water containing a few drops of essential oils such as tea tree, cedarwood, or citrus.
4. Apply Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is a natural substance that can rid of many pests including carpenter ants through dehydration and is capable of breaking down their tough chitin exoskeleton. You may already have diatomaceous earth in your home as it is an organic pesticide gardening product, purchased for gardening.
Drill one-inch holes every six inches in places where you suspect carpenter ants nests and then blow the dust into the holes. Be careful not to inhale any dust as it can cause damage to your lungs.
If you want to take a more active approach after finding carpenter ants, repel or irritate them by using a mix of 10 to 15 drops of peppermint essential oil, water, and a few additional drops of liquid dish soap in a spray bottle.
Spray it directly on the ants or around them to mask their scented trails, irritate them with its strong smell, and drive them away serving a multi-purpose. For around-the-clock defense, place cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil where you suspect ant activity.
6. Using Boric Acid
Another useful gardening supply kit that you can use to get rid of ants is Boric acid. It is a powerful chemical that can quickly get rid of a carpenter ant infestation. Mix powdered sugar with boric acid roughly in the ratio of 1/3 sugar and 2/3 boric acid.
Pour the mixture into bottle caps and place near the carpenter ant activity hotspots. This is an ingenious trap as the sugar in the solution will attract the ants resulting in them bringing the acid to their nests which will proceed to dissolve them.
This technique is similar to the application of diatomaceous earth in which they kill the ants by cutting through their exoskeleton which leads to the rapid loss of moisture vital to most insects. Administer carpenter ant dust directly to their nest to kill the queen and the entire colony as directed on the packaging.
An advantage of ant dust over diatomaceous earth is that they are water-proof and will not be erased by rainfall. Use this product carefully as it is toxic to pets and humans.
8. Treat With Chemical Spray
If you are frustrated at the lack of efficacy from the DIY solution buy some slow-acting chemical insecticide sprays such as chaindrite. Keep in mind that it is critical that the treating chemical should be slow-acting because if they kill the ants before they can manage to return to the colony, the thousands of ants still inside the nest won't be affected.
Additionally, do not spray insecticide on carpenter ants that are emerging from the nest as it may cause them to spread out and build even more nests if they detect danger.
Another thing you can do is to use toxic bait. This is especially helpful if you are unable to discover the concealed colony of carpenter ants then this is the most recommended strategy. Buy poisonous gel baits from the local store and combine them with a teaspoon of sugar and milk.
Ants enticed by this bait will grab them and take them into their nests. This method can get rid of an entire carpenter ant population in mere days. Utilize tamper-proof bait stations as a safe alternative if you have pets or young children.
10. Call A Professional
If the infestation in your house expectedly seems extensive and you are having difficulty finding or exterminating all of the ants, if it is time critical as you don't want the house to be further damaged, or lastly simply because you don't want to do it yourself, we recommend calling professionals.
The professional hires will get rid of the carpenter ants infestation in the house for you quickly and thoroughly without needing to have to get your hands dirty or worry about the safety of your children and pets.
What Attracts Carpenter Ants
If you are wondering why the carpenter ants winged or otherwise, are trying to make a living in your house, here are some of the possible reasons:
They might come for a visit if there is already an existing colony to immigrate towards or reproduce. Winged ants try to mate with ants of other colonies to minimize the risks of inbreeding.
They are searching for food in your house' pantry which has been improperly stored and thus is releasing smells that can be detected by the ants via the use of chemosense which allows them to detect the chemical substances in the air with their olfactory receptors, eventually leading to the sugar contained in your food.
They are looking for somewhere that is moist and dark in order to build a new nest.
There is decaying wood in your house somewhere which are being utilized by carpenter ants to make tunnels and nesting galleries.
They prefer decayed wood as it is easier to dig through decayed wood to nest as they do not actually eat wood which is an important distinction to make as it can be solved by replacing decayed wood whereas a termite couldn't care less.
How To Find Carpenter Ant Nest
Some of the carpenter ant control measures require you to locate their nest location, which isn’t always easy or straightforward. Most ant nests can be found in piles of moist or rotten wood.
Carpenter ant colonies thrive when given the right conditions that are provided by their nesting areas such as damp wood, warm temperatures, and protection from predators and any other environmental disturbances. Here are some of the tips which will allow you to find their nest:
Follow Their Trails: You may not be able to see the pheromone trails left behind but they will and you will be able to follow them returning him by making use of that pheromone trail.
Look for Their Excrement or Frass: They excrete a muddy sawdust substance also known as frass which is a byproduct of carving out the wooden passages.
Check All Your Wood Stock or Trees Outside Your House: Unlike termites which eat wood and thus live in wood structures permanently, if carpenter ants already have a thriving colony somewhere then they will have no need or desire to live inside your house as multiple nearby colonies may end up competing for food.
Inspect Potential Water Sources For Ants: Even ants need to hydrate, by finding them near potential water sources which they use to hydrate the entire colony, you may be able to pick up their trail and find their colony.
Do Carpenter Ants With Wings Bite or Sting?
The general focus of all flying ants is focused on matin. They do not usually bite or sting but that doesn't mean they are incapable of doing so.
Essentially, if an ant species is known for biting or stinging then alates of their species will also be capable of biting and stinging. If the species don't bite or sting then their alates won't either.
Why Is This Important?
The main distinction used for whether ant species are harmful is if they bite or sting, species that do neither are harmless and can be left alone They clean up the environment by feeding on organic waste and aerating the soil allowing water and oxygen to reach the plant roots.
However, not only will carpenter ants inflict painful bites with their powerful jaws and spray formic acid into the wound which causes inflammation, swelling, and a burning sensation, but they will also accelerate the decomposition process of the woods of your home.
Flying Carpenter Ants or Termites
Before taking any control or treatment measures first, it is necessary to ensure whether the invasive pests are carpenter ants or termites. This is because half the mentioned suggestions might not work if they are the wrong species.
If you're unsure if the insects destroying your home are carpenter ants or termites, here are a few differences that you can spot to recognize each species:
Wings: The wings of carpenter ants have a brown tint while termite wings are white. The size of termite wings is far larger in relation to their body when compared to the carpenter ants which have smaller wings.
Antennae: Carpenter ants have a bent antennae while termites have a shorter, straight antennae.
Abdomen: Carpenter ants' bodies and abdomen are segmented into different parts, while termites have a long, straight body.
Light conditions: Carpenter ants are up and about in the open daylight while termites avoid light and are rarely seen during daytime.
