Part of owning a home is dealing with pests. Termites are the number one pest that invades and destroy houses. They attack during both rainy and dry seasons and that makes them active the whole year long.
There are different types of termites. One of them is the flying termites, also known as swarmers. They can freely go inside and out of your home. They are reproductive; if they see your home as a potential territory, leave them alone for one or two years and your home will be a territory of termites.
You should also note that the swarmers are not the ones that destroy your property – their offspring do the damage. The entire colony has classes, and each class has roles. The swarmers’ offspring are the ones that collect food and destroy your property.
Can Termites Fly?
The termite colony is composed of the king and queen, workers, soldiers, and alates or swarmers. Termites can freely fly, but not all of their species. There are classes in the colony, and swarmers are one of the termites that can fly.
Since they are reproductives, they can soon be a king or queen of the colony. They are the ones who find, create, and build an entire colony. You should also note that termites are not the same as the other flying insects like mosquitoes, ants, and swaps. Swarmers lose their wings when they land.
In most cases, swarmers fly during the spring season, as it is their mating time. They will look for their potential partner and build a colony. They will fly around your home, yard, or any possible places for reproduction. When they land, it means that they’ve already found the perfect spot for building their new territory.
Why Do Termites Swarm?
The main reasons for swarming are breeding and continuing the life cycle of termites. It is the termites’ way of reproducing and acquiring new territory.
During this time, the sexually mature female and male alates will leave their nest to look for their mates. They call it nuptial flight and it is common in all types of insects. Even flying ants do this during their mating season. The female flying termites will produce a chemical to attract male termites.
As the termites congregate and find their partner they will mate. If they land, it means that they have accomplished their mission. That is the time where they will lose their wings and begin creating their colony.
When Do Flying Termites Go Out?
Most of the insects like to go in the light, and it is also true to termites. For example, if you go out after the rain, you will notice a group of insects swarming closer to the light.
If you wait for a few minutes, the pact of flying termites will lose their wings and crawl on the ground or floor. If they did not successfully mate and locate their potential colony, they would die.
It is not easy to identify termites, especially if you do not know anything about them. But, take note that finding flying termite’s wings in your property is a sign of termite infestation. It means that your home is at risk and vulnerable to termites.
What Do Flying Termites Look Like?
The flying termites are different from other winged insects. You may not notice it clearly because some need scientific tools to spot the difference. Here are some characteristics of flying termites.
- The flying termites or alates color varies on the type of species they belong to.
- In general, the flying termites are tan in color, like the other classes.
- Flying termites have a straight white antenna. Their wings are veiny translucent in appearance, and they are the same size.
In general, classify the termites by the shape of its body. You should also note that the wingless and flying termites have one thick frame.
Flying Termites VS Flying Ants
Many people are confused about flying ants and flying termites. They often misidentify these pests because of similarity in shape, color, size, and appearance. Here are the differences in flying termites that you need to note.
In terms of color, flying termites are tan or beige in color, and it also varies on what kind of species the termite belongs to. On the other hand, the flying ants are dark in color, and it appears in black or red.
When dealing with the wings, the winged termites wings are the same, and it is translucent or white in color. While the flying ants do not have the same length, its front wing is longer than its wings at the back.
If you pay attention to the antenna, you will see that the flying termite antennas are straight, while the flying ant’s antenna is bent. If you look at the waist of the flying termites, it does not have any constriction; it has only one thick waist. Then, look at the flying ants — they have constriction between its abdomen and borax, and its waist is thin.
How to prevent flying termites in pestering your home
The flying termites belong to the small portion of the colony; however, it plays the role of reproducing and creating new territories. That is why you need to eliminate them before they destroy your home. Exterminating them in an instant is the best possible way.
Killing the flying termites will reduce the damage in your property and reproduction of new colonies. Here are the available termite options that you can use to eliminate the termites in your area.
- Termite baiting method
- LIquid poison treatment
- Termite inspection and monitoring
