Flying Ants In The Attic

Interestingly though flying ants also known as swarmers or alates aren t actually a different variety of ant at all.

Flying ants in the attic.

Flying ants may seem more formidable than their tiny ant counterparts. While it would be unusual to have an entire colony in your attic it is not unheard of. A single ant colony could have as many as 50 000 individuals. If the ant species bites like a carpenter ant the winged carpenter ants can still bite if they feel threatened.

Ants could damage your attic in as few as six months. Flying ants can be seen out in the open and nest in wood in which they tunnel. 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. If the ant species stings like fire ants do the winged fire ants can still do the same.

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. Carpenter ants have built a reputation for shaving through wood making holes and tunnels that damage it. Dry wood termites. They just only come out during certain times of the year to do work for their ant colonies.

While most ants are wingless and flightless flying ants also known as alates or swarmers are still normal carpenter ants. 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. They can look quite similar to each other. They are most commonly found nesting in wet damp and or rotting wood but may also be present in dry wood.

Ants will build nests where ever they can find a suitable area to do so. Seeing a flying ant in your home or yard can be troubling but is by no means a reason to panic.