Getting Rid of Winged Termites

Have you spotted some winged termites flying around your home recently? With spring right around the corner here in Eastern & Central VA, termites are starting to swarm again to find new places to live and sources of food. Causing an estimated $5 billion every year in repair and extermination costs in the United States alone, there is no more destructive pest out there. You have to act quickly when you find termites on your property. Looking to learn how to get rid of flying termites? Read on for advice from our termite exterminators at Loyal Termite & Pest Control!

Are Those Flying Termites in My Home?

Flying termites are also known as alates, reproductives, and swarmers. Their function within their colonies is to spread to new locations and reproduce when space and resources run low. You might confuse them for flying ants like carpenter ants if you haven’t seen them before, but there are some key difference that you can use to identify winged termites:

• Termites are lighter in color than flying ants
• Termites have two pairs of equal-sized wings, but ants’ forewings are larger than their hindwings
• Termites’ bodies are more broad and rounded than ants’, which are pinched at the waist

If you are finding termite swarmers on your property, you’ve either stumbled upon a few that are looking for a new place to settle, or you have an existing termite infestation so large that they are looking to spread. The former is bad news, the latter is much worse.

Get Rid of Flying Termites on Your Property

If you’ve been finding flying termites on your property, you can take these preventative measures to keep them from settling down in your yard or home:

1. Ensure that your drainage systems are diverting water away from your home’s foundation and siding
2. Move mulch as far away from your home’s foundation as you can
3. Keep your firewood off of the ground and at a good distance from your home
4. Inspect your property for leaky pipes and fix them to prevent wood damage

Taking these steps should make your property less vulnerable to termite infestations. However, whenever you find swarmers, it’s important to look around your property for signs of termite damage. If your swarmers are coming from an active infestation, you might have a lot more damage on your hands than you’d expect.

Looking for Professional Termite Exterminators?

Whether you’ve found termite damage in your home already or you’re worried about the flying termites you’ve found, let your local termite exterminators know. The termite control team at Loyal Termite & Pest Control is trained and equipped to handle termite infestations of all sizes and help you keep them out of your home from now on. Reach out today for a free estimate!