Flying Ants
The scientific name for flying ants and termites is alates. The alate is an adult, sexually matured ant or termite. They develop in the colony from immature stages and finally and finally swarm off in the flight season. The alates need proper conditions such as proper sunlight, warm temperature and low winds to fly off and form their own colonies.
When alates fly from a colony, its referred to as nuptial flight or swarming. So alates are also referred to as swarmers.
How to flying ants swarm?
Once the male and female ants leave their nests, they mate. After the female carries the infertile eggs and sperms, the male dies. Then the inseminated female searches for a suitable site to form a colony. The choice of site depends on the species.
A swarming termite looks very similar to flying ants. Therefore many people mistake swarming ants as termites when they see them in and around their houses. But there are three major characteristics that distinguish flying ants from swarming termites.
Antennae: A flying ant has elbowed or bent antennae whereas the termites have beaded ones.
Wings: Both ants and termites have two pairs of wings, but fore wings of a flying ant are larger than hind wings. In case of termites fore and hind wings are of equal size.
Waist: The flying ant waist is constricted whereas termites have broad waists.
Also flying ants have three parts; head, thorax (chest) and body while termites have only two parts; head and body.
You can make out these differences through naked eyes. So if you see swarming insects inside your house, you can identify them by inspecting their structure so that you can determine whether they are swarming ants or termites.
Swarming termites can be quite dangerous as they can destroy your furniture and damage your house. When you see swarming ants inside a home, it may mean that their nest is inside the structure.
Although the rate at which swarmers establish nests indoors or buildings is quite less, they can be very disturbing and more challenging to control. The key to eliminating ants completely from your house is by killing queens and other colony members within he nests.
So make sure you spray insecticides in places such as spaces behind walls, cabinets, appliances, beneath floors and concretes and so on as they are favorable nesting sites for ants.