Black ants with wings? That’s a problem

Posted on by David Bisaillon

Black ants with wings should be a cause for concern.  The reason is that carpenter ants can do damage to your home.

Carpenter ant infestations like termite problems have some defining characteristics that make it obvious to a professional.  Black ants with wings is only one of them.

Black ants with wings head to the brightest light

Ants with wings
This is a carpenter ant with wings

We get frantic calls from homeowners every year that have found ants with wings in window frames.  When ants swarm typically they will end up in the biggest, brightest window in the room or by a sliding glass door.  The homeowner is rightfully worried that they have a termite problem.  However, both carpenter ants and termites swarm, but the similarities end there.

May and June is ant season in Connecticut, that’s when we see black ants with wings

For exterminators in CT the busy season for carpenter ants is May and June.  This is when we get hundreds of calls for carpenter ants and other pests.  Depending on the warmth of the year termite and carpenter ant season may coexist.   Most, but certainly not all people who have carpenter ants also have some type of water damage in their home.  Carpenter ants build nests in these areas and are able to grow sizable colonies.

If you’re seeing black ants with wings and they’re carpenter ants chances are the colony has 3000-5000 members in it.  This is called a fully mature colony.

Along with a mature colony also comes the higher probability that damage exists.

Control of black ants with wings

Callers to our office who have ants are under the mistaken impression that the walls must be opened to control the problem.  This couldn’t be further from the truth, but it’s not as easy as just spraying.

There is no magic formula to carpenter ant control.  Your problem will be cured in one of the following ways:

  1. Insecticidal baits
  2. Nonrepellent insecticidal liquids
  3. Drilling and treatment of wall voids with dusts
  4. Removing wall boards and exposing the nest and treating it directly

Of the 4 ways to exterminate ants clearly 1,2,3 are the least intrusive.  At Envirocare Pest Control we use a combination of all three to rid your home of ants with wings and carpenter ants.

If you need a full service pest control company call 1-888-879-6481.  Envirocare Pest Control can help.