Flying ants, aka, alates, are ordinary ants. Oftentimes, you see flying ants causing a nuisance on sunny days in July, especially after rainfall. To get rid of these flying ants, this article has several active, humane, natural, and homemade strategies in store for you.
Are All Flying Ants Termites?
Although, many homeowners find it confusing. This is because oftentimes when they see swarms of flying ants, they assume it’s a diagnostic sign of termite infestation. But the truth is, termites are just one class of insects that swarm. Among others are the flying ants which kind of have few structural similarities with the termites. So, that’s why many people mistake them for one another.
But then, when you look beyond what your eyes can see, you will notice the glaring differences. For one, termites, unlike flying ants, have straight waists and antennae with wings of equal sizes. Then again, all termites eat wood. But some ants like the carpenter ants do not (yes, they use the wood as tunnels instead).
Of course, other differences and other flying ants like the pharaoh ants and the fire ants exist. But for homeowners, like yourself, we believe those are enough to help you see that not all flying ants turn into termites.
READ MORE: How Long Do Ants Live?
Do Flying Ants Bite?
As said earlier, flying ants are reproductives. That means, when you see them swarm, their major goal is to mate. So, they care less about feeding on you. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t because many of the flying ant species have mandibulate mouthparts. With these powerful jaws, yes; they can bite.
In fact, some of the flying ants can even sting. So, it all boils down to the flying ant species in question. As a treat, we have a little trick to help you find out. All you have to do is to study the adults. If the adults bite or sting, then their alates can probably do the same.
However, in general, most flying ants can’t poison or kill you. The major problem is that they cause nuisance, litter the floor with their wings after mating, and even disturb tennis players. For these reasons and others, flying ants are classified as pests that people want to get rid of; pretty fast and permanently!
READ MORE: How to Get Rid of Ants in Carpets.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants Permanently?
Getting rid of flying ants is not as hard as people make it out to be. You just need to act consistently in two phases: the removal and the prevention phase. Any of these two phases can be done either with natural or chemical means.
Common natural and homemade techniques for getting rid of flying ants can involve using essential oils like peppermint oil, dish soaps, baking soda, sticky tapes, your vacuum cleaner, and lots more. If you’re looking to use chemical and artificial means to kill flying ants permanently, bug zappers, poison trap-baits, and insecticides can also come in handy.
However, for each technique, certain guidelines should be followed to ensure maximum results. Not only that, homemade remedies require that you know how the killer concoctions are mixed. Likewise, some parts of your household like your kitchen, bathrooms, swimming pool, campers, conservatory, and greenhouse need some area-specific techniques to ward flying ants off. In the subsequent tags, we will look at some of those strategies and tools closely.
The Removal Phase of Getting Rid of Flying Ants.
While many people panic, infestation by flying ants isn’t something that happens because you saw one or two ants flying in your corridor. You see, the thing is, infestation commonly happens when you either see a swarm of these flying ants within or nearby your house. At other times, noticing a colony or several ant trails in these same areas could be a sign.
However, if your house is free of any inherent anthill, an infestation can even take quite longer. But to be sure, you can try to scout around for colonies. If you discover a colony or a swarm of these flying ants, you can then decide which removal methods you prefer. These removal methods can either be natural, homemade, or done with the use of artificial chemicals like insecticides. We will discuss each one with the following headings.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants Naturally?
Today, there are several natural ways you can use to get rid of flying ants. Here’s a succinct list of the most effective materials that can come in handy:
1) Baking Soda.
In the world of pest control, baking soda has proven to be a gem used for repelling different kinds of insects. But when it comes to using it as a killing tool for flying ants, there’s a small trick. You see, baking soda kills insects. Because of that, flying ants can sense it even when placed far away. So, to use baking soda to get rid of flying ants effectively, you need to mix it with baits.
Since almost all ants love sugar, anything sweet and sugary mixed with baking soda would be a perfect killer combo to get rid of flying ants. This is because the sugar would do the job of attracting your pest ants. Once they come nearer, the baking soda would act as a poison.
2) Peppermint oil.
Like baking soda, peppermint oil is an effective and natural remedy to rid your house of pests. From rats to raccoons and termites, a mixture of peppermint with water becomes a fatal combo. So, it’s no wonder it would be so active to get rid of flying ants as well.
To make it more effective, you can bottle up the mixture in a spraying can. And like insecticides, you can spray as needed.
3) Lemon mix.
For humans, an air freshener made from lemon gives the room a cool and fresh fragrance. For insects, it gives a whole new sensation. The sensation of which can take a fatal toll on flying insects. So yes, a spray made of lemon mixed with water can help you to get rid of flying ants. Plus, it also gives your house a fresh fragrance.
4) Cinnamon.
Cinnamons have been tested to contain substances that are rich in Eugenol. This so-called Eugenol can help to chase flying ants off. To use it, make a concoction of cinnamon and water. Afterward, bottle the mixture up in a spraying can and use it on areas infested with flying ants.
5) Mint.
So far, all the natural remedies for getting rid of ants that we’ve looked at would kill the ants. But using mint, you can ward off your flying ants and keep them far away from your property. To use mint, make sure you get fresh ones and apply them to different cracks and cavities in your house.
READ MORE: What Do Ants Eat – Diets of Ants.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants Humanely?
For some people, killing other living creatures can be a hard task. But then, an infestation of flying ants on their properties presents them with a tough choice. But if it’s any relief, some natural substances can help ward off flying ants without killing them.
Good examples include lemon spray, mint, paprika, and even cloves. Also, baby powder, which is an artificial substance, can also serve as a good deterrent for getting rid of flying ants humanely.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants With Home Remedies?
1) Dishwashing soaps.
Since we wash our dishes every day, dish soap becomes something we value. But when it comes to pest Infestation, the value of dish soaps doubles. This is bottle up a mixture of dish soap and water in a spray can, you can use it to kill flying ants. And… There is little science behind that.
You see, when a mixture of dish soap and water comes in contact with the skin of an insect, it draws out water from its body in excess amount. That means it has a dehydrating effect. Hence, it can be used to kill flying insects because the ants would later dry up.
2) Vinegar.
In the pest world, there is an ever-rising demand for vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar. This is because it works just fine in helping to deter pests like raccoons, rodents, and cockroaches. And yes, flying ants are included as well.
To use vinegar to deter flying ants, you need to mix a considerable amount of it with an equal volume of water. Afterward, you can bottle it up, and spray on swarming insects as required. The effect is really top-notch if you use it consistently. Also, it helps save money because the vinegar is homemade.
3) Vacuum.
You can get a vacuum in your house, right? Alright, we’re kidding. We know, you can. So, when next you see a swarm of flying ants, grab a vacuum cleaner, either a manual one or one with a large size, and suck them all up. However, you must know that the bag inside your vacuum must be replaced as soon as you’re done.
4) Sticky tapes.
Like your vacuum cleaner, sticky tapes or glue traps are also easily available. To make an improvised version of ant traps using sticky tapes, lay out several stripes in areas you know are prone to flying ants. Ensure that you have the sticky side facing upward, add some ant baits like sugar to attract the insect, and then wait. After a while, you can go out to collect flying ants off your property without a fuss.
5) Boiling Water.
When you deal with the infestation of flying ants in your garden or within your home, noticing different swarms of the insects is usually the obvious sign. Another thing to deduce from the swarms is the fact that there is a high chance that an anthill might be located within your house. So, try to pinpoint hidden spots like wall crevices, damaged wood, or the roof.
If you are lucky to locate it, then boiling water would come as a great help. Because the moment you pour hot water on the nests, the ants located within will die off. Most of them would die even before reaching maturity. So, that’s waving hands to flying ants’ infestation for good.
6) Tin cans.
Aside from using hot water to kill flying insects trapped within their nests, there’s a more subtle and humane way to reduce the multiplication of flying ants in your house or anywhere else. That way involves the use of tin cans. But you must do this very early in the morning.
When you’re ready, cover every anthill you see with tin cans. Before midday, the cans would heat up and thus, become warmer than every other part of the anthill. When that happens, the ants will fly into the cans and deposit their eggs to keep them warmer. When they do, you can use cardboard to collect the eggs by afternoon time and dispose of them for chickens and birds to feed on.
READ MORE: How To Get Rid Of Ant Hill From Your House.
The Preventive Phase of Getting Rid of Flying Ants.
It is one thing to use the removal methods of battling flying ants’ infestation as prescribed. It is another thing to make the flying ants go away without coming back. But if your house still meets certain conditions for these ants to tag your house as a rich food source, then you will always have to repeat the process.
This is because oftentimes, eradicating all the swarms of flying ants that you see isn’t enough. You also need to set up a system that prevents the invaders from coming back; ever (though we didn’t mean that literally). So, here are a few tips to help you achieve that:
- Try to spare some time to trail the ant routes. This will help you to pinpoint the exact point in your house where they built their colony.
- Destroy the colony as soon as you can with the hot water and tin can techniques.
- Cover up all holes and wall cracks. You can even seal off vents that open to the outside with nets.
- Place traps and repellents like mint and peppermint oil at strategic places.
- Always remember to remove damaged wood from gardens and the household in general.
- If you live in areas prone to flying ants invasion, always use sprays. Whether homemade or commercial, as long as it works, it’s fine.
So, What is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Flying Ants?
In all honesty, there isn’t one special way that one can say is the fastest. But several means stated above have proven to be effective. So, choose one or a combination of the strategies for getting rid of flying ants. Use it as consistently as possible and at the right timings. That, of course, is expected to hasten the results.
So, in a nutshell, this article has made you see that getting rid of flying ants is not that hard with the right strategy. Talking of strategies, flying ants can be killed either with chemical or natural means. Other humane methods like using mint repellents are available as well. And all these would work better if combined with good preventive measures.
