Termites With Wings

termites flying in swarm in south Florida

May 15, 2021

Flying Termites In Florida

Termites are mysterious pests. Most homeowners and property managers are only aware that termites may have wings and can look similar to ants. Termites also may leave small piles, call termite frass, that can look similar to dirt.

That’s where most public knowledge of termites ends. Occasionally you may see homes and buildings with fumigation tents over them and cross your fingers you won’t be having to pay for your home to be tented for termites one day.

Ant Or Termite?

So you found an insect with wings in your home and it looks like a termite. Or is it an ant? Carpenter ants and fire ants can look very similar to termites since both of their reproductive stages have wings.

The easiest way we’ve found to quickly differentiate between an ant and a termite is to look at the waist of the insect. Ants have a pinched waist that is narrow, while termites have a thick waist that is the same width as the rest of their body.

A second easy way to confirm you are dealing with termites is to inspect the antennae of the insect you found. Ants have elbowed antennae with a 90-degree angle. Termites have straight antennae.

There are other more detailed methods of differentiating between ants and termites such as examining the length of the wings and the number of veins on the wings, but usually, the waist and antennae will allow you to rule out the presence of ants.

Knowing when termites swarm in Florida also may help you identify if the flying bugs you are seeing are ants or termites.

If you cannot differentiate between a termite and an ant, simply contact us at Native Pest Management. We’d be glad to look at a picture you have or even better, set up a free termite inspection.

Termites With Wings In My Home?

If you identified termites with wings or even just found wings in your home with no termites attached, you could be dealing with what is called a flying termite swarm. It takes a termite colony three to five years to mature enough to produce alates, known as termite swarmers.

By the time you see them inside, there is the potential significant wood damage in your home has already occurred. A new invasive type of termite called Formosan termites has colonies large enough to consume 1 to 3 pounds of wood per day in an average sized home.

The areas of homes we most often identify the presence of a termite colony include the attic, windowsills, door frames, baseboards, wooden furniture, hardwood floors, and wooden studs within walls.

Winged termites take flight for the purpose of reproduction and creating new colonies. Flying termites include both male and female termites, and when environmental conditions are right, they will swarm in your home if a colony is present.

If you see flying termites in your home, it means termites have already been present for quite a long time. Usually, winged termites will only be produced after a termite colony has been present for at least three years.

Termite swarmers are very poor fliers and their wings will break off soon after swarming as they attempt to pair off for reproduction. You may not actually see the winged termites swarm, but if you have found termite wings in your home, termites may have been present.

Since the swarmers are attracted to light, you will most likely find wings near light fixtures, and on windowsills. Once flying termites lose their wings, they will try to find new areas in your home to create nests.

We often receive calls during termite swarming season from Florida residents who actively have termites flying within their home as they are on the phone with us. While this is often stressful and unexpected, know that within an hour or two, the swarming will stop.

If you aren't sure what to do during the middle of a termite swarm, we recommend dimming any nearby lights and using a vacuum to physically remove both live and dead termites. Termites are harmless and will not bite you.

It is important if you see flying termites in your home or business to contact us right away to schedule a free termite inspection.

Once the species of termite within your home is identified, a treatment plan can be formulated. Depending on the type of termite present, there are effective treatments available ranging from tent fumigations, termite bait stations, liquid trenchings and "no tent" termite control options.

Drywood Termite Swarm Inside My Home?

Drywood termites do not need soil moisture to survive. They excavate their nests and live directly in the wood.

In addition to finding swarmers or their wings, a common way Drywood termites are identified is by the presence of their fecal pellets, called frass. As drywood termites consume dry wood, they push these pellets out of the infested wood and create what is called a kicker hole in the wood.

These wooden pellets are smaller than rice grains and often found in small piles on floors, windowsills or under furniture. The pellets can be of various colors and are not related to the color of the wood.

During a termite inspection, we will also look for the presence of the kickout holes drywood termites create in our search for an active termite infestation.

The peak season that Drywood termites swarm is in the late Spring and Summer months. Swarmers are most active following heavy rains when the humidity is high.

Drywood termite colonies are typically much smaller than Subterranean termite colonies and they will produce fewer swarmers in your home than subterranean termites colonies will produce. Fortunately, drywood termites, for this reason, will cause less wood damage as well.

Subterranean Termite Swarm Inside My Home?

Subterranean termites need soil to survive. They enter homes from the soil with a common indicator of their presence being the mud tubes they create. Subterranean termites use mud tubes to retain moisture as they travel towards their food source, the wood within your home.

Due to the prevalence of subterranean termites and the severity of the economic damage they create, new construction soil pre-treatments are required in Florida. This termite pre-treatment process involves a barrier of insecticide being applied to the foundation of your home.

New construction pre-treatments may only be effective for 3-10 years depending on the active ingredient applied environmental conditions and the type of soil underneath your home.

If subterranean termites are found to be active within your home, a post-construction soil barrier treatment or subterranean termite bait stations are needed to eliminate them.

It is a common misconception that concrete block houses do not need preventative treatments for subterranean termites since there is limited wood for them to consume. These termites can actually still enter these homes through cracks in the concrete slab underneath homes and through plumbing penetrations.

Due to the risk involved in damage to your home from subterranean termites, most pest control companies offer renewable annual termite warranties that provide a re-treatment guarantee if subterranean termites are found within your home following a soil or bait treatment.

Flying Termites Outside Of My Home?

Dampwood termites live outside and require very moist or rotted wood to survive. These termites most often nest in trees, fence posts, rotting logs, and rotted wood on the exterior of homes.

They are the largest of all termite species, so if you find their wings on the outside of your home, you may be concerned of the presence of termites on your property. Luckily for us, the Florida Dampwood termite does the least amount of structural damage and they rarely infest homes.

The best way to control and prevent Dampwood termites is to eliminate moisture from any wood on the exterior of your home. This can often require the replacement of damaged and moist wood or modifying the exterior foundation of your home to make sure wood is not in contact with the ground.

Drywood and subterranean termites will also swarm outside of your home if they have colonies present on your property or neighboring properties. When our inspectors attempt to find the source of flying termites outside, they will often inspect dried-out wood, including dead ficus branches that are known to commonly host drywood termite colonies.

We will also inspect areas including underneath outdoor pavers, a common area subterranean termites can be found. Since winged termites are attracted to lights, we will also look in areas where you may have outdoor lightings such as front entryways or a rear patio.

It is important if you find any type of flying termites outside that you contact us to schedule a free termite inspection.

How To Prevent Termites From Getting Inside My Home?

In addition to foundation treatments and bait stations, which are both recommended for subterranean termite control and prevention, there are preventative measures that should be taken to reduce the presence of conducive conditions for termites on your property.

If followed, this guidance will also aim in preventing other pests from accessing your home.

All firewood and excess building materials should be kept away from your house and kept off the ground.
Channel all gutter down-spouts at least two feet away from your home.
Do not place landscape plants within two feet of your home foundation.
Prevent wood to soil contact by keeping all wood siding at least six inches off the ground.
Adjust sprinklers so when they are turned on they do not hit your home.
Remove old tree stumps and decaying matter from your property.
If any wood such as fence posts, deck poles, or stairs contacts the soil, it should be commercially pressured treated and also should not touch the home. These items should also be treated with a termiticide barrier.

It is important to understand that when termites are flying, they are seeking to find a new area of wood that they can colonize and reproduce inside of.

Knowing that, you can take immediate steps to reduce the likelihood of them getting inside of your home by turning off your exterior lighting, using curtains or blinds to reduce light coming from your windows at night, and making sure the soffit vents and other potential openings around your home are completed sealed.

Formosan Termite Swarm?

Formosan termites are non-native pests that have rapidly spread in South Florida. Our termite inspectors regularly identify Formosan termites in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Hollywood, Miami, and Tallahassee.

Formosan termites have larger colonies that cause more rapid damage than other termite species in our area. We believe that more and more Florida area homes and businesses are being infested with Formosan termite colonies.

To make matters worse, Formosan termite swarms can create aerial colonies, meaning that they are a type of subterranean termite that does not need to have soil contact to survive. The damage these termites cause is so rapid because they can consume up to 1-3 pounds of wood each day in a standard size home.

Recently, we have begun to also see these invasive Formosan termites infest various high rise structures, posing various challenges for tenants and property management companies. Due to these structures often being surrounded by sidewalks and parking lots, significant amounts of drilling may be required to inject termiticide into the soil surrounding these buildings.

Universities recommend it to be especially important to have termite prevention due to the presence of Formosan termites. Due to the damage caused by termites, we recommend annual termite inspections in addition to having either termite bait stations or termiticide barriers in the soil.

Flying Termite Control in West Palm Beach

If you find termite wings, winged termites, or flying termites in West Palm Beach or surrounding cities, don’t panic. After all, knowledge is always the first step in developing a proper response to a pest control issue.

You now know a whole lot about termites and as one of the best termite control companies in Florida, we’d be glad to provide a free termite inspection if you live or work in cities including Miami, FL, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach or Tallahassee. We also service all of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Leon counties.

As the top-rated pest and termite control company in Florida, Native Pest Management has over 2000 five-star reviews across Google, Yelp, Facebook, Nextdoor and Angie's List. As winners of the 2021 Better Business Bureau's Torch Award for Ethics, we will always aim to do what's right when it comes to properly treating termites and will always be here to stand by our termite warranties.

If you believe you have termites in the West Palm Beach area or have found termite wings in your home or business, or want to initiate termite prevention to avoid having them in the future, call us today to schedule a free termite inspection and get started with our West Palm Beach termite control service.