An evil wood pest with wings sounds like every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Don’t fall into the misconception that flying termites are generally harmless. What’s really alarming is that flying termites can create a colony of up to a million hungry, chewing, wood-eroding offspring. Consequently, they serve as the insect equivalent of the Trojan horse. Ignoring them is like letting their starving hordes in by spreading out the red carpet and opening the gate.
All homeowners are at risk from flying termites. As you know, finding termites on or near your property is not a good thing. It can imply a persistent termite infestation somewhere nearby or, worse, on your property.
Termites can cause a great deal of damage to your home that could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Together with the termite control experts of
Pest Police, let’s examine what flying termites are and how to prevent an infestation in your home.
Understanding Flying Termites
Flying termites do not belong to a different species. They are merely typical termites that are in their reproduction stage. In order to reproduce, both male and female termites emerge from existing colonies. They will rule as new colonies’ future kings and queens.
Termite colonies are split up into castes or classes as follows:
- queen, king and ‘reproductives’
- soldier termites
- worker termites
The queen handles the colony’s reproductive needs. The colony is protected by the soldiers, while the workers are tasked to find enough food to feed the entire colony.
Where do flying termites fit into this scenario, then?
They are the reproductives. They perform two functions. First, they serve as the queen’s and the king’s backups, taking over in case of death to secure the colony’s existence. Second, they aid in establishing new colonies, which is how they acquire wings.
What Is the Difference Between Flying Termites and Flying Ants?
Flying termites are frequently written off as harmless “flying ants.” Unfortunately, it’s simple to mix up the two. If you don’t know you have flying termites in your house, you’re giving them a free pass to establish a footing. If you give them enough time to act and grow, they’ll seriously harm your house before you realise they’re there.
Termites are frequently referred to as “white ants,” which is factually inaccurate. They are definitely not ants. In fact, they are far more similar to cockroaches. The head, thorax, and abdomen are the three parts of an ant’s body. Flying termites, on the other hand, only have two segments. Additionally, flying termites differ from ants in that they have two sets of wings that are the same size, as opposed to ants, who have two pairs of wings of different sizes. In addition, termites lack articulated antennae and have straight antennae resembling “beaded” beads.
How to Identify a Flying Termite?
The bodies of flying termites are elongated. Depending on the species, they can grow from half a centimetre to about a centimetre in length.
Winged termites, also referred to as alates can be any shade of brown, from light to black. The pest can retain water because of its deeper colouring. They can depart the colony and carry out outside reproduction for the same reason.
Alates have four wings that are of identical length, as previously mentioned.
Most alates swarm after heavy rains and in warmer weather, particularly in spring and summer. Termites are searching for a new location to start their next colony as they start to fly. Make sure that’s not your house as much as possible.
What are Swarming, Flying Termites?
When these “winged alates” or “reproductives” reach sexual maturity, they develop wings, leave the colony, soar into the air, and group together into swarms. Flying termites typically swarm in the spring and summer when the temperature, precipitation, and humidity rise. In times of overcrowding, the presence of flying termites from a colony often functions as a pressure valve for the colony.
Swarming is typically synchronised and transient. Multiple colonies of flying termites will take off at the same time. After that, the flying termites will mate. For this reason, it’s frequently referred to as a “nuptial” or “colonising” flight. While predators like birds kill the majority, some are able to endure. They plummet to the ground, remove their wings, and create new colonies underground.
How to Prevent Flying Termites from Taking Over Your Home?
The presence of flying termites in your outdoor spaces can indicate that there is an established colony within a few hundred metres of your home. It serves as a helpful reminder to take precautions to ensure they won’t find their way into your house. That entails ensuring your termite treatments are both efficient and current and that your termite barriers are set up and undamaged. Even if you have barriers, they may be overcome by excavation work, tree roots, or wear out over time. In their never-ending search for wood, worker termites are more likely to breach older structures.
Additionally, there is a significant association between termites and leaking pipes. It’s because the skin of the worker termites is significantly thinner than the flying termites. They dry out easily. For subterranean termites to survive, the colony must be hermetically sealed, warm, and humid. They go to and from their food sources to the wood in your home via a network of sealed mud tunnels or galleries. The soil provides the majority of the colony’s hydration needs.
Your home’s surrounding region is far more vulnerable to termite invasion if a pipe leaks. It also includes searching around your property for any sources of moisture, such as leaking or dripping pipes and drainage systems, and ensuring that repairs are made immediately. Regularly clean out your gutters. Ensuring the spaces under your floor and roof are properly ventilated also helps. Regular property maintenance is essential if you want to keep termites at bay.
Finally, termites may be attracted to decaying wood and other vegetation near your home. It offers protection from predators and an accessible source of food for termites.
How to Deal with an On-Going Flying Termites Infestation?
Swarming termites are drawn to light, so if you give them a chance, they’ll enter your home and fly around your light fixtures. However, if your property is fully flywire-screened, they will have discovered another entry point. Unfortunately, they might already be in the structural woodwork of your home. The intricate web of tunnels and mud galleries that serves as a highway into your home will be used by the flying termites as a means of egress from their colony.
You have a major problem if you notice flying termites coming from wooden building components like architraves, wooden furniture in your home, or via holes in your plaster. It’s an indication that an established colony already at capacity and has winged alates that are sexually mature and looking to find new colonies is attacking your home.
Just treating the symptoms won’t work. Fly spraying the flying termites within your home is useless because it has no impact on the colony. You should consider an efficient termite treatment that can impact the colony effectively, which is the source of the issue. Termiticides and termite traps are just two of the many alternatives available on the market. With the help of knowledgeable guidance from a skilled professional, making the best decision for your home is made simpler.
Get Rid of Flying Termites with Pest Police Termite Control Experts
If dealing with alates is challenging, we advise contacting a professional pest controller to visit and assess the situation. You must take quick action if there is an ongoing infestation in your home. Your house could sustain significant damage from termites. In some instances, the cost to repair the damage can reach AU$ 10,000, depending on where the infestation is.
We do not advise wasting time with do-it-yourself solutions due to the nature of the infestation. The occupants of the property are frequently asked to vacate while the pest control treatment is taking place as part of the professionals’ methods for eliminating the infestation. Termites can only fly briefly. Termites shed their wings and start building their new colony as soon as they discover a suitable location. You and your property are in serious trouble if the pest finds that your home is a good place to live.
Sealing potential openings will reduce the number of entry sites into your home, but if termites are swarming nearby, they will almost certainly find a way inside. If you discover a late in or near your home, our expert pest controllers advise that you contact us right away.
Why Trust Pest Police?
Consistently receiving excellent scores on Google Review Rating highlights our dedication to providing unrivalled client service, as do the numerous recommendations we receive. We are a proudly Australian family-run business with decades of collective experience in the termite treatment industry.
We comply with all applicable Australian Standards and have full licences and accreditations. You’ll get free quotations that demonstrate incredibly reasonable pricing and top-notch guarantees. Our termite team is led by a brilliant beagle, the supreme sniffer dog, and we effectively employ cutting-edge equipment like thermal imagers.
Contact Us without delay using the Pest Police Enquiry Form or call us on 1800 737 876.