Shortly after mating the males die – their life’s purpose fulfilled. The fertilized female then flies around searching for a nesting site that meets her standards. Each species of ant has their own nesting preferences.
When the female finds a suitable nesting site, she will break off her wings and never fly again. The new queen goes to work starting her colony. She uses her now useless flying muscles as a nutrition source. This comes in handy with all of the egg-laying that she’s about to do.
Most ant colonies swarm around the same time each year, like clockwork. This is because certain conditions must exist in order for the winged ants to leave home. These conditions include bright sunlight, low winds, high humidity and warm temperatures. These conditions happen most often in the late spring and early summer. That’s when you’ll see the most ants with wings.
If you see a swarm of flying ants inside your home, this probably means you have a colony of ants living inside your wall voids, or nearby on your property. For swarms in your home, call Safari Pest Control at 813-703-4673.
It's a jungle out there!