Flying Ants – what the heck are they all about?

Yes, that’s right. Ants with wings! 😲 

Every year in spring and summer, a strange thing happens. A new type of flying creature takes to the skies, often in huge numbers. These bugs seem to come out of nowhere, and often disappear as quickly as they came.

Take a closer look at these often clumsy bugs, and you might notice they look a lot like ants, except with wings. That’s because they are ants… with wings! 

Yes, ants can fly. At least some of them can, under certain circumstances and at certain times of the year. And you may have even noticed some of these flying ants in Vancouver over the years. But to get into how and why and when that happens, you’ll need to know a little bit more about how ants operate.

What are flying ants?

Flying ants are not some mutant species of ants. Just like people in our communities, ants come in different sizes and serve different purposes within a colony. There are queens, foragers, workers and swarmers. Swarmers are the winged ants within a colony. All types of ants in BC including carpenter ants, pavement ants and moisture ants contain swarmers within their colony. Many common ant species are capable of flying.

Although it may not immediately seem obvious, ants are closely related to wasps. Both belong to the order Hymenoptera, which is Greek for membranous wing. And when ants grow wings, they much more closely resemble their wasp cousins.

Video: Suzanne Ryder, Museum Scientist at the National History Museum, explains the phenomenon of flying ant day.

Ant society is separated into rigid groups, and each has a different role. Regular old worker ants are all sterile females, and they don’t spontaneously grow wings one day. Instead, flying ants are created by an ant colony queen laying special eggs which will grow into winged ants. These winged ants stay in the colony, not doing much of anything. Until one day, they emerge.

Also read: Owner Mike Londry speaking with Vancouver Sun about flying ants in Vancouver

NOTE: It is important to mention that a “flying ant” is not its own species. Flying ants are a type of ant, both male and female reproductives, that serves a single function to extend the life of their colony.

Video: Winged ants emerging from the nests located deep underneath this slab of concrete

Why do they fly?

The reason winged ants fly – and the whole reason they exist in the first place – is for reproduction. Ordinarily, in an ant colony, regular workers are sterile, and only the Queen can reproduce. However, flying ants are also reproductive, and unlike most ants, they come in both male and female.

When these flying ants swarm, it’s called a nuptial flight. The female ants will fly as high and as fast as they can, with the male ants chasing them. This ensures that only the strongest and fittest male ants reach the females and mate with them. The ants mate in the air, and the males die shortly afterward. Meanwhile, the females fly off to start new nests of their own and become queens.

When a female ant establishes a new nest, she will lose her wings. To raise her first brood of offspring, she will reabsorb the muscles that powered her wings until her offspring are old enough to feed her. On the backs of larger ants such as Carpenter ants, it’s possible to still see the scars where a queen ant once had wings.

Flying Ant Day happens when conditions are perfect for a nuptial flight, so every ant colony in the area will swarm on the same day. A recent study found that Swarming is triggered by the weather that ants only flew on days when it was warm, not windy and conditions had improved compared to the previous day. This can result in thousands of ants taking to the sky and making a nuisance of themselves. Often, summer events like the Wimbledon tennis championship can be interrupted by swarms of ants that can cover miles. 

It doesn’t help that ants aren’t particularly good at flying. Unlike wasps, ants are clumsy in flight and prone to crashing into things and people, making them a big nuisance.

Video: Crazy amounts of swarming ants outside on a front lawn in Vancouver

Ants vs termites

Ants and termites aren’t closely related in the way that ants and wasps are, but fulfilling a similar ecological niche means that there are similarities between the two different species. Like ants, termites swarm to reproduce, which can cause confusion about whether it’s ants or termites you’re dealing with. 

In BC, a native species of termite known as the subterranean termite swarms in spring, around April or May, which is around the time Carpenter ants also swarm. Termite swarmers, or alates, have dark brown or black bodies and transparent wings, which can make them look superficially like carpenter ants.

However, look closely and you’ll see the differences. Ants have a large forewing and a smaller hind wing, while termite wings are approximately the same size and shape. Also, ants have a narrow waist between the thorax and abdomen like wasps do, whereas termites have a wider waist and less distinction between body segments.

See related: How to get rid of termites

How to get rid of flying ants

Flying ants are hard to get rid of because by the time you see them, it’s already almost too late. If you’re getting large numbers of flying ants inside the house, you can try vacuuming them up and disposing of the bag outside. 

Flying ants are attracted to light and will often congregate inside window sills. Spraying them with bug spray isn’t super effective, because while it will kill the individual ants, more will simply emerge to replace them.

Find and remove the colony early

To really get rid of flying ants, you need to think long-term. Treating the colony before the ants swarm is the only really effective way to reduce the numbers of flying ants you’ll see. For carpenter ants, this means finding and eradicating the colonies around February. For pavement and moisture ants, you’ll have a little more time, since they tend not to swarm until July. However, this is dependent on weather, and they may swarm earlier if conditions are correct.

Finding the nest and treating it directly is always the key to successful ant control. Moisture ant nests tend to be in soil, and once you’ve found them you can treat them with an appropriately labelled pesticide or even with boiling water for a cheaper and more ecologically friendly option. Pour boiling water onto the nest, stir the soil with a stick, then pour some more water until the soil is saturated.

Learn more about effective ant control techniques for your home.

Liked this post?

Combating more than just pavement ants this year? Learn about the types of ants we get here in BC. 

And check out our resource on how you can Prepare for Ant Season 

Or for the DIYers, have a look at our Ultimate Guide to Carpenter Ant Removal

Overrun with ants and need assistance? Read more about the pavement ant control and removal services offered by Westside Pest Control. 

We provide a FREE onsite evaluation and written quotation provided. Service options include both once-off treatment and preventive services. Call 604-559-9060, or use our webchat to speak with an expert.

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Header Image credit © Clint Budd via Flickr (licensed under CC BY 2.0)