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The Ultimate Guide to Rodent Control
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Seeing winged termites in your home can feel alarming. You might wonder, why do flying termites suddenly appear in your DC house. These swarmers don’t eat wood, but they signal a mature colony nearby. In my work helping over 100 homeowners, I’ve seen wings mean hidden damage.
Flying termites, or alates, are the reproductive members of a termite colony. They leave the nest in swarms to start new colonies.
According to the NC State Extension, alates have dark brown bodies about 3/8 inch long and two pairs of equal-size wings.
Learn more about their behavior in our article What Are Flying Termites?.
Termite colonies usually need at least five years to produce alates. Once mature, they send winged swarmers to mate and form new nests. In my experience, spotting swarmers means a long-running issue.
Swarming is triggered by warm temperatures, high humidity, and recent rain. In the DC metro, swarm season peaks in spring. Eastern subterranean termites typically swarm between February and June.
Finding alates means a colony is active and close by. If swarmers appear indoors, they likely emerged from walls, crawl spaces, or soil under your foundation. Watch for:
Termites enter through tiny foundation cracks or build mud tubes to travel unseen. Certain yard factors pull them in:
Reduce risk with our Termite Prevention & Control tips.
Many confuse swarmers with flying ants. Correct ID is key because termites cause hidden wood damage. Check:
Learn more in Termites vs Flying Ants: How to Tell the Difference.
Ignoring swarmers lets termites chew wood hidden from view. Termites quietly weaken beams, joists, and floors over years. According to the US EPA, termites cause more annual property damage than fires, floods, and storms combined. Home insurance rarely covers termite repairs, so costs come out of pocket.
In DC, most infestations come from Eastern subterranean termites. These soil-dwelling insects live in colonies of thousands and build mud tubes to forage. According to the University of Maryland Extension, colonies include:
They need moisture and dark shelter to survive.
Sentricon stations use bait to attract and poison the colony. I’ve found proactive baiting often costs less and causes lower stress. It can eliminate colonies over months.
For severe cases, we trench around foundations or drill slab holes to inject non-repellent termiticides. This barrier stops termites quickly when baiting alone isn’t enough.
New homes can get soil or wood pretreats that block termites before they arrive. Builders use these treatments to meet local building codes.
Our licensed technicians perform a 78-point inspection each year. If termites return, we retreat at no extra cost and keep your home under warranty.
You can make your home less inviting to termites:
Combining Sentricon baiting and liquid soil barriers gives layered protection. Annual inspections catch new activity before it grows. Many local homes follow this plan to stay termite-free year after year.
Ready to protect your home? Our registered technicians are here to help. Call 703-683-2000 or email [email protected] for an estimate or any questions.
They swarm in spring, usually March through May, on warm, humid days right after rain.
Warm soil temperatures, high humidity, and moisture cues signal colonies to release alates.
Alates don’t eat wood, but their appearance means a colony of workers is nearby and feeding.
Seal foundation cracks, remove wood-soil contact, keep mulch and firewood away, and use preventive treatments.
Yes. A licensed inspection locates the colony and recommends baiting or liquid barrier solutions.
Liquid barriers often break activity in weeks; baiting can take several months for full control.
Collect a sample in a sealed container and call for an inspection—wings mean a nearby colony.
DIY methods rarely reach hidden colonies. Professional methods target the source for lasting results.
With five years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, George Schulz is a registered technician with the Virginia Pest Management Association and a proud third-generation professional in a family business that’s been protecting homes for over 57 years. He manages and trains a team of service pros while also leading internal research efforts—recently spearheading a deep-dive review of thousands of documents on pest control materials to hand-pick the most kid and pet friendly, most effective solutions tailored specifically for homes in the DC metro area. Read his bio.
