Reader Needs Help for Flying, Winged Ants in Home

A Reader Asked ....

I have a severe problem with flying ants in my home and need to know what to do.

This is the 3rd year that I have had ants in my home, the last two were very severe. It started off with normal crawling ants, then came ones with wings that look like house flies. The first and second years, I paid a pest control company who put down gel bait. But then they said that nothing could be done about the flying ones.

They said I had to kill these as they emerged from the skirting. This year we sprayed insecticide, which was better, because they were coming out and dying around the same area. Then a day came that it seemed as if they had migrated – I came home after being out a couple of hours, and they were all over the room windows and everywhere thick. They are easy to catch but I can’t take more than an hour of scooping and sweeping them up, then I still getting stragglers. I am desperate to have something done to stop them coming back next year.

About Pest Control Answer.

The first step is to identify the ants. Did the pest control technician tell you what the ants were? This is necessary because different methods are needed for controlling different ants. Winged ants in the home are generally carpenter ants, pharaoh ants, pavement ants (that nested beneath the home over the winter) or termites (which are not true ants, but may be mistaken as such). Virtually all ant species may be winged at some point, but only the reproductive of the species.

The flying ants swarm to mate and reproduce, so every time you see these winged ants, it is likely that the population is simply getting bigger.

Additionally, spraying the ants will not get rid of the problem, as it is only killing the ants that emerge, not those living down in the nest – and continually breeding more ants.

There are a few methods of identifying an ant species. The best start is to take a macro/close up photo of the ant and/or capture an ant or a few, then put them into a tiny bottle or Ziploc bag (but don't crush them). You can then attempt to identify the ant by checking the article How to Identify Ants Step by Step which shows photos of different ant species, and links to a secondary article: How to Control Ants Step by Step. If this does not enable you to identify the species (it's not always easy!), check the articles Pest Control: There's an App for That - parts 1 to 5 which list a number of apps for identification. Again you can compare the ant with photos or send the photo to the pest control company for identification. The advantage of this is that many will also receive recommendations for control.

The next step may be to, again, call on a pest control company. But this time, insist that they first identify the species (and tell you what it is), then explain what they will do for control -- and WHY, as well as what you can or should do. For example, if it is a carpenter ant, you will likely need to find the moist or rotting wood in which they are living and repair or replace it.

There are things that can be done to control the ants – no matter the species. No one should have to live with pests of any kind in their home.