Insect Quiz September, 2005

September Quiz 2005

You are in your yard on a warm, sunny day.  As you come around a corner of your house, you notice a lot of winged insects flying in the air.  They are brown and about 3/8th inch long.  Some of these insects have landed on the side of the house.  They look just like ants except they have wings.  You are not sure where they are coming from and wonder if they are damaging your home.

1.  What are these insects?

They are field ant swarmers.  While we are familiar with wingless worker ants, the reproductives, i.e. males and females do possess wings.  They are produced at certain times of the year and then fly out of the nest at about the same time to mate.  These swarms often contain hundreds of individuals.  After mating, the fertilized females (i.e. queens) fly off in search of favorable sites to build their own nests.  Different ant species swarm at different times of the year, e.g. field ants swarm from July through September.

2.  Where are the coming from?

Field ants nest in the soil, creating mounds that are usually eight to ten inches across. They typically are found out in the open in lawns and fields but occasionally they can be concealed under some sort of cover, such as stones.  Check in your lawn for the nest, it should be easy to find.  It is also possible they have come from a nest outside of your yard. 

3.  What kind of damage can they cause?

Anytime ants are involved, there is concern about whether they are carpenter ants.  Although they are a similar size, carpenter ant swarmers are generally larger and black.  You can distinguish between these two ants as carpenter ants swarm in the spring while field ant swarmers are active in the summer.  Field ants are harmless and do not damage homes or property.  At best they are just a nuisance.

4.  What is the best method to manage them?

Despite the large numbers of swarmers that may come out of a nest, they last just a few days.  No control is necessary for these swarms, especially since they nearly always are found outdoors.  Ignore them, and they will go away on their own.