Finding Ants with Wings?
Ants with wings are known as swarmers or reproductives. They emerge from established colonies to mate and reproduce. New colonies are formed by producing winged ants and swarming during the warmer weather of spring and early summer. Winged ants include both genders. Males are produced solely to fulfill reproductive functions and die shortly after mating, while newly mated females search for suitable nesting sites to lay eggs and become queens of the new colonies.
A Queen is Born
In an event known as a nuptial flight, ants with wings mate while swarming and flying through the air. After mating, the newly minted queen finds a prime location to create a nest, detach her wings, and lay her eggs. Winged males, on the other hand, typically die within two weeks of mating.
Upon establishing a nesting site to laying eggs, the formerly winged queen single-handedly raises the first generation of offspring. Once the newly hatched offspring reach adulthood, their role becomes worker ants to take charge of searching for food and expanding the nest while the queen retains sole responsibility for laying eggs.
Ant colonies generally take between three and six years to mature and produce winged swarmers capable of reproducing. The sight of ants with wings indoors therefore likely indicates the nearby presence of a mature, and probably large, colony. Additionally, since reproductive swarmers typically emerge from the colony between April and June, the presence of winged ants in the home during winter months usually signals the existence of an indoor infestation.
Solutions for Carpenter Ants
These type of ants are larger than most and have the ability to structurally destabilize a home as they consume fiberous material such as wooden support beams or joists. As these colonies typically start where there is moisture, mold and water ingress are likely as well.
mr natural® environmental group can assist you will understanding where their colonies are located within the structure and non-toxic solutions to eradicate them.
Talk with an engineer for more information.
