There are multiple types of ants commonly encountered in the Austin and Houston area, from fire ants to carpenter ants and acrobat ants. While you may get accustomed to seeing ants crawling outdoors or even occasionally entering your home in search of sweet, sugary treats, you may gasp in surprise the first time you see a flying ant. 

Ants only develop wings at a certain phase in their life, and they leave their colonies for one specific purpose. Understanding that purpose and what ants are searching for at this point in their lives will help you figure out how to eliminate them effectively. We have that information and more for you right here. 

What are Flying Ants? 

Flying ants are winged ants that have reached sexual maturity. Males and females can develop wings and help their colonies grow through reproduction. After mating, the males will die while the females lose their wings and become queens, ready to start their colonies. 

Flying ants are often sent out in swarms when a colony is too large, and it’s time to expand. Their job is to mate and find new areas to establish colonies. Queens have the tough task of finding hospitable land and establishing a colony before it’s devoured by predators or wiped out by Mother Nature. 

Types of Flying Ants 

Most ants you see crawling outdoors or inside your home can develop wings and become flying ants when they reach sexual maturity. That includes but isn’t limited to the following types of ants: 

• Carpenter ants
•  Sugar ants
• Fire ants
• Protein ants 

If you have an ant colony near your home, a flying ant may make their way into your home at some point. That doesn’t mean you have ants living in your home, but it’s also not something you want to ignore. Let’s discuss why these ants may want to come into your home and what you should do once that happens. 

4 Reasons Flying Ants May Enter Your Home 

Ants enter homes when there are easy entry points; something they need is potentially found inside. Flying ants aren’t much different from any other pest when invading a home. Look at the four primary reasons you may see flying ants indoors. 

Searching for Food 

Ants often head indoors in search of readily available food sources. Since humans regularly prepare and eat food that ants find nourishing and appealing, it makes sense that they would head inside a home with an easy entry point. They can take advantage of small crumbs on the floor, spills not wiped up on countertops, or dirty dishes left in the sink. 

Whether they have wings or not, ants have a strong sense of smell and can pick up the presence of a food source from a distance. If you’ve ever dropped a piece of food on the floor and returned later to find a trail of ants devouring the food, you may know how quickly they can pick up on the presence of an easy food source. 

Searching for Water 

While ants need water to survive, they don’t require a tall glass fresh from the tap or fridge like humans. Much of the water ants consume is obtained through their food. They also help one another survive by regurgitating food from their foreguts into their mouths. This is known as trophallaxis and is ingrained in the social lives of ant colonies. 

While it may serve as a way of bonding socially, regurgitating also helps ants share water and food. When extremely hot weather moves in and outdoor conditions become too dry, ants may seek moisture indoors. They may also come in for food, which serves as a source of water as well. 

Searching for Safety 

Ants may move into your home if outdoor conditions make them feel unsafe. For instance, many ants will enter a nearby home if their nest is flooded by rain or an aggressive water hose. They may also go indoors if they detect other factors that present a danger in the natural environment. 

In many cases, ants will go back outdoors rather quickly in this case. They will wait for the water to clear their nesting ground and go back outdoors to rebuild. Flying ants can move faster than crawling ants, so they may come and go before you even have time to smash or spray them for elimination. 

Planning to Establish a New Colony

Finally, some flying ants may enter your home searching for a suitable nesting ground. Female flying ants have the hard job of finding a new place to establish a colony that isn’t vulnerable to predators and intense weather. They may go indoors to check for areas that will make good homes. 

Should You Worry About Flying Ants in Your House? 

Don’t assume that you have a developing or established ant infestation if you see one or two flying ants. A serious problem is often marked by the appearance of a swarm of flying ants moving into one area to mate. The males will then die, and the females will move into the surrounding area to find nesting areas. 

It’s just as likely that you have a few flying ants stopping by for food or temporary shelter. You can often get rid of those flying ants without worrying that there are more in your home. If the ants continue appearing, you may have an existing infestation or at least some easy entry points that give them access to your home. 

How much you worry about flying ants depends on where you see them, how many you see, and how often they appear. If you want to get rid of them quickly, we have some tips to help you out. 

How to Get Rid of Flying Ants Quickly – And Permanently

There are two steps to eliminating flying ants: 

• Killing the ants that are visible in your home. 
• Stopping ants from entering your home in the future. 

To get rid of the ants, you already see, try to vacuum them up with the sweeper or swat them with a rolled-up newspaper or magazine. Since they can fly, these ants are often more difficult to vacuum and swat than crawling ants. 

You can also try mixing water with dish detergent and a few drops of tea tree or peppermint oil and spraying the flying ants. Fresh lemon juice and lavender oil may work as well. 

Once you get rid of the flying ants you see, it’s time to determine where they’re coming from and seal up their entry points. If you don’t know where they’re coming from, look around in areas where you’ve seen flying ants or other ants in the past. They can hide in small spaces and even go under flooring, so look closely. 

The starting point is to use caulk to seal up small cracks and crevices where ants can easily hide. You should also ensure you aren’t leaving food sources out in the open for ants and other pests to enjoy. Make sure bread, cereal, syrup, sugar, and other potential food sources are secured in plastic containers with lids or kept in a refrigerator. If ants detect any potential food, it could lure them into your home in the future. 

There are other ways to get rid of flying ants, but these are the starting points. If you need more help getting rid of a larger or more established ant colony inside or near your home, consider calling a green pest control company to help. 

Should You Call a Professional Pest Control Service? 

As you’ve learned, flying ants aren’t always a serious concern. They may stop by your home briefly only to disappear and never return. You may also find the males dead and can simply sweep them up and move on with your day. 

Pest control services are necessary if you notice a large swarm of flying ants in your home or nearby. You may also need professional help if flying ants continue to return despite your best efforts to get rid of them. If you also notice other ants crawling in your home, you may have a more serious colonization problem that trained experts are best placed to handle. If you’re in the Austin or Houston, TX, areas and want to eliminate flying ants, sugar ants, or other ant populations quickly and permanently, call Natran at (281) 326-9914. We use safe, green pest control solutions and can help you determine where the ants are entering your home before eliminating them.