When an ant colony reaches maturity, the queen will start hatching a new caste – the reproductives. Also known as swarmers, the reproductives are male and female winged ants that are meant to start new colonies.
Appearance
Swarmers look exactly like winged ants, but you have to be careful, because termites have swarmers too and they are similar to ant swarmers. However, there are some differences, and if you get to look at a swarmer close up, you can tell the two apart. For one, ant swarmers have a narrow waist, while termite swarmers have no waist and their bodies are more blocky. Both swarmers have two pairs of wings, but ant swarmers have pairs that are unequal in length, while termites have their wings equal. Finally, termite swarmers have straight antennae, while ants have them bent.
Threats posed by swarmers
Ant swarmers are completely harmless. They do not bite and they are not able to sting. The main threat posed by these insects is the fact that they are able to start a new ant colony. You should also keep an eye out for any ant swarmers that show up in the home. If there’s no way for them to enter, but they still pop up, then you may have a mature colony somewhere inside the home.
What to do about ant swarmers
If you notice swarmers flying around in your garden, it does not necessarily mean that you have an infestation, it just means that there is a mature ant colony somewhere nearby. However, as mentioned previously, if the swarmers are indoors, then you have a reason to worry. With that being said, there’s not much that you can or should do about swarmers flying around. Just use them as an indication that there may be a colony nearby.
What’s important when dealing with ants is to keep an eye on the workers. Dangerous ant species are very easy to identify thankfully, with fire ants being red, pharaoh ants being yellow to light brown, and carpenter ants being noticeably large. If you see any of these ants you should get in touch with a pest control company as soon as possible. Fire ants are venomous, aggressive and with a painful sting, pharaoh ants carry diseases and pathogens, and carpenter ants destroy the wood of the home. If you notice any of these ants in your home, contact us today and we will help you remove them.
