How Can You Identify Flying Termites?

It’s easy to mistake winged termites for flying ants and vice versa. Both are small insects with three-sectioned bodies and six legs. While both insect cousins are usually less than half an inch long, their queens can be significantly larger.

Differences in Thoraxes and Abdomens

You’ll notice three body parts: the head, thorax (chest), and abdomen. However, termite thoraxes and abdomens are almost the exact same size. Although small, their body parts can be distinguished by the naked eye.

Since flying ants and flying termites are nearly the exact dimensions, it’s understandable that many people could mistake one for the other. If their abdomens and thoraxes are about the same size, you know they are flying termites. Flying ant thoraxes are more significant than their abdomens.

Color

Scientists have discovered that there’s at least 2,000 flying termite species, and at least 50 of them live in America. They may differ slightly in size and color. Some may be dark brown or black, deep red, pale tan, or nearly white. The species’ environment, diet, and colony health often dictate shade variances.

Wings

Flying termites may be an ugly business, but they do have attractive wings. Each of their four wings is slightly longer than an inch, extending past their abdomen. Their translucent wings are veined like a stained-glass window. Conversely, flying ants have four wings, but the front two are longer than the back two.

Antennae

All insects have antennae that act as sensory organs and for navigation. Flying termites have long antennae that are straight or slightly curved. Flying ants also have long antennae, but theirs are kinked.

What Attracts These Pests?

The last thing you want to face in your New Jersey backyard is a swarm of flying termites. There may be certain conditions in your area that attract them. These are a few examples to consider.

Light

Take a glance at your porch-light on a warm summer’s evening, and you’ll see how it’s the gathering spot for flying insects. It’s because most flying insects, including winged termites, are attracted to light, both outside and inside. Flying swarms of termites will try to enter homes and other buildings if they see bright lights.

If you notice flying termites invading your home in the evening, try turning out the lights. Open the door, turn on your porch lights, and they’ll usually fly toward that light. Using outdoor lighting sparingly during the termite mating season is always a good idea.

It’s important to note that once they’re inside your home, they avoid the light and prefer to stay underground or within the wooden mud tubes. The exterior lights only serve as an open invitation for a new place to feed.

Warm Weather and Humidity

Everything you enjoy about warm summer months also attracts flying termites. These airborne pests are in full swing during late spring into summer. They’re especially apt to swarm in warm, moist conditions after rainfall.

Unseasonably warm springs and heavier rainfall can also initiate an earlier termite mating season. Also, the timing for the mating season will be later if winter lingers and spring arrives late in the year. If the conditions are right, look for swarms of termites mingled in with other pests trying to invade your home.

How can you be prepared for an oncoming plague of swarming termites? Your local county extension office may have updated information. If you are on social media, you might see posts about swarm sightings in your area.

Damages that Flying Termites Can Cause in Your Home

Termites are social insects, and they have an excellent form of communication. When a member of a swarm of flying termites locates a rich source of wood, the news spreads quickly. Your home and other wooden structures can become a virtual banquet to a colony of destructive insects.

One of the most infamous species is the subterranean termite. Once they’ve spotted a potential food source, they’ll sneak into your home’s foundation and establish a new colony. These harmful pests can burrow into your walls and weaken the structure, to the point of collapsing, if left untreated.

Flying termites like to stay hidden and often burrow into wooden areas of your home you can’t readily check. They are fond of inaccessible spaces like inside walls, under foundations, and tight attic eves. It pays you to inspect these areas closely for any signs of termite damage or swarms.

What Are the Signs of Flying Termite Infestation?

Bring a flashlight with you and a ladder, if necessary. Inspect all beams and other wooden structures for tiny holes or wave patterns. These are usually tell-tale signs of a flying termite infestation. Tap on walls and boards to see if they sound hollow or weak and pliable.

If you notice any warning signs, you must act as soon as possible. Flying termites will destroy any wooden structures in their path. They can quickly cause a hazardous situation and demolish a house or other wooden buildings.

How Do Flying Termites Find Their Targets?

Flying termites are innately drawn to wet, rotting, and decaying wood. Their sensitive antennae detect moisture and a possible food source. They can also sense fungi, certain mold spores that are common in wood, and anything made from it.

Termites must depend on their other senses because they have underdeveloped eyes and are nearly blind. Many termite species are born without eyes. However, they can easily navigate and find food sources.

Their bodies secrete minute chemicals that leave an invisible trail wherever they roam. They use these trails to navigate back to their colonies. The chemical also acts as a way for them to mark wooden food sources for their territory to infest.

How to Deal with Flying Termites?

If you’ve inspected and discovered flying termites or signs of infestation, there are home remedies that you may try. These remedies may deter pests or kill some, but they are just bandages over a more significant issue. Professional exterminators have more efficient ways of dealing with an infestation, and your results will be worth the cost.

1. Boric Acid

Boric acid is one inexpensive remedy used to kill pests for generations. You can buy it in most hardware and department stores, and it comes in powder form. Sprinkle a line of boric acid wherever you notice any flying termite activity.

Or sprinkle some on a piece of damp wood to act as bait. The winged pests will be drawn to the bait and ingest the powder. Boric acid dehydrates them, and they quickly die. You’ll soon see dead flying termites scattered around the areas of activity.

Boric acid is highly poisonous when ingested by humans or animals. Please don’t use it around small children or pets. Sweep up dead termites and excess powder immediately, so there’s no accidents where a little one or a fur friend gets into the mixture.

2. Diatomaceous Earth

If you want a safer alternative to boric acid, try diatomaceous earth or DE. It’s the powdered remains of microscopic marine fossils. It doesn’t cost much and is easy to find in farming equipment stores or online.

Sprinkle DE liberally around areas where you see live termites or their activity. As they travel through the powder, it gets on their bodies and puts microscopic slits in their exoskeletons. They dry out and die soon after contact.

The good thing about DE is that it’s harmless to people, animals, and plants. It won’t stain furniture or textiles. The only precaution is to wear a mask when spreading it in quantity, so you don’t inhale it.

3. White Vinegar

Your pantry has many ingredients that are safe for you but bad news for termites. Add ½ cup white vinegar and ½ cup fresh lemon juice in a small spray bottle and shake well. Spray wherever you see termite activity and repeat as needed.

How to Prevent Future Infestations?

If you’ve eliminated termites with home remedies or a professional exterminator in New Jersey, take measures to prevent a re-infestation. Keep your home moisture-free and eliminate wet wood. You might also consider installing a dehumidifier in areas of your house that naturally draw moisture.

Clean away brush and any dead debris around your foundation and the rest of your property. These can be tempting to flying termites and can draw them into your house. Before long, you’ll have an uncontrollable infestation that’s costly to remedy.

Call a Professional Termite Exterminator

It’s only natural to want your New Jersey home to be free of pests, health hazards, and expensive damages. Our team of experienced exterminators can help you deal with termite colonies or flying swarms on your property. Let us help you preserve your home and keep it pest-free.

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