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April 07, 2022

Muscle Shoals Termite Control Expert Explains Termite Swarmers and What To Do

Posted in: Industry News

Termites are a headache for property owners throughout the country, consisting of here in Muscle Shoals and Alabama. Each year, these wood-destroying insects do more damage to homes than fires.

During the spring, termites come out in swarms to replicate and expand their nests. Seeing these termite swarmers is a bad indication that a nest may be nearby, underneath, or inside your home.

Here’s what you must know if you’ve discovered termite swarmers, which look like flying ants, around your home or residential or commercial property.

What are Termite “Swarmers”?

Termite SwarmersSwarmers, likewise referred to as alates, are the reproductive members of a termite nest. Unlike employee or soldier termites, they have two sets of large, pale wings.

Because of their appearance, people typically puzzle them with flying ants.

Swarmers do not bite, sting, or consume wood; their only function is to leave the colony throughout the swarming season to discover mates and develop brand-new colonies through recreation.

Swarmers have two sets of wings and are the reproductive members of the termite nest.

When Does Termite Swarming Season Start?

Spring weather signifies the start of the termite swarming season, particularly for the below-ground termites commonly discovered in Alabama.

Swarmers tend to emerge in big groups during the early spring when temperatures begin to reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and swarming can continue to happen numerous times more times throughout the year.

Finding termite swarmers inside your home is frequently the sign of an active termite invasion.

If you see or suspect swarmers on your residential or commercial property, it’s a good concept to call your regional pest control operator or termite control company for an inspection.

Where do Termite Swarmers Come From?

Termite swarmers are a sign that a termite colony may be inside or near your home. Where you find the swarmers (or signs of them) can tell you where they are coming from.

  • If you see swarmers outside your home, they are most likely to be from a colony in your backyard or a neighboring backyard. Swarmers are poor fliers and normally do not travel further than 300 feet far from the initial nest.
  • If you see swarmers inside your home, this suggests that the nest might lie inside or underneath your house. You should check for other signs of termites (see listed below) or contact a termite control expert for an evaluation.
  • Swarmers are produced after the colony has actually reached maturity, which can take up to 4 years. This implies that termites can do a considerable quantity of structural damage to your home or home prior to swarmers being discovered.

Will Killing the Swarmers Solve the Issue?

No. Termite swarmers found inside your home are typically symptomatic of an existing invasion.

Killing the swarmers themselves will not eliminate any established termite colonies inside or near your home.

In fact, utilizing non-prescription aerosols to spray swarmers might harm or stain building products and will result in a difficult-to-clean mess. For that reason, we do not recommend attempting to spray the swarmers yourself.

Instead, call your local termite control professional to help you eliminate them. Or you can await the swarmers to die naturally, which typically occurs in a couple of days, and use a vacuum cleaner to clean them up.

Typical Signs of Termite Swarmers

1. “Flying Ants”
Oftentimes, swarmers are misinterpreted as flying ants. Termites are often described as white ants, although they bear no relation.

One way to separate these pests is by wing size and shape. Termites’ wings are all the same size whereas ants have a set of big wings coupled with a set of smaller wings.

If you see these pests in or near your home, you ought to look for other indications of termite activity to figure out which type is present.

2. Discarded Insect Wings
After swarmers discover mates, they shed their wings. Keep an eye out near windowsills and other entryways for deserted or discarded insect wings.

Termite swarmer wings are pale-colored and are typically 1/4 to 1/2 inches long.

3. Other Signs

  • Wood damage in or around your home.
  • Mud tubes inside your home or around the outside of your home.
  • Frass, or termite droppings, are dry and pellet-shaped (depending on the species) and can appear like sawdust or sand.
  • More signs of termites
    Household moving into a termite-free home.
    How Can I Secure My House From Termites?
    Termites primarily take in cellulose found in wood, however, they will eat through other building materials just to get to it. Termites do not sleep, they munch 24/7, and trigger billions of dollars in residential or commercial property damage each year.

Here are some actions you can take to avoid future damage and safeguard your home from termites:

  • Check your house for indications of termites. This consists of hollow wood, bubbling paint, frass, mud tubes, and other wood damage in your home. Termite invasions can be tough to detect. NMPA (the National Bug Management Association) advises getting in touch with termite management professionals for help.
  • DRAIN– Make sure all water is draining away from your house. This keeps the soil near your house and your home dry and therefore not an ideal environment for the majority of termites.
  • REPLACE any wet or broken wood on or around the exterior of your home, deck, and storage areas.
  • WOOD SCRAPS– Don’t leave wood scraps in your yard or near your home. If you save wood outside for an indoor fireplace, make sure to keep this wood dry and covered, and thoroughly check the firewood prior to bringing it inside your house.
  • SEAL cracks and crevices inside and outside your home.  There are over 2,000 types of termites and various types might require different solutions. Depending on which species you are handling, they might choose a damper or drier climate.

In Alabama, the most typical type of termite is the below-ground termite.

Termite Control, Examination, and Treatment in Muscle Shoals
If you’re searching for dependable termite control in Muscle Shoals, contact Southern Pride Pest Control today! We have 25+ years of experience supplying qualified termite evaluations and solutions.

If you have actually discovered a bug that you presume might be a termite or a termite swarmer, send a photo to us and we’ll identify it for you.


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