It can be disturbing to find winged ants crawling around on the inside of your windows in spring, especially if they are big and black. Large black ants with wings look a lot like wasps. The good news is that they don't sting. But we have some bad news too, news that is directly connected to why you're seeing flying ants inside your home.
First, it is important to point out that flying ants are not a species of ant. They are a caste of ant. Inside an ant colony, there are several castes. There are workers to search for food and bring it back to the colony, soldiers to protect the colony, and queens to make lots and lots of babies. There are also winged ants that go by many names: swarmers, male and female reproductives, or alates. The job of this caste is to go out and establish a new nest. This is the bad news. If you're finding winged ants inside your home, it is because you have a mature nest inside the walls of your home, and that nest is trying to replicate itself.
Control Measures
You are probably aware that the easiest way to deal with winged ants inside your home is to use a vacuum; but this only addresses the symptom of your problem. Those winged ants are the warning sign that you have insects living in your home. If those winged ants are carpenter ants, you could be in some real trouble if you don't address the root of the issue.
Finding and eradicating ants is extremely difficult. Ask anyone who has ever tried. These insects can hide in places you can't get to, and they won't simply come out of the walls because you've laid bait down for them. You have to know what bait your particular ants want and where to put it. You also have to have an education in entomology if you want to make sure your home is free of ants when you are finished exterminating them.
Professional Control
Since carpenter ants burrow tunnels and galleries in the wood of your home and this process can cause the structure of your home to bend and warp, we recommend professional control for these wood-chewing pests. At Big Blue Bug Solutions, we have been protecting homes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Eastern Connecticut for decades. You can trust our team to find and eradicate all the carpenter ants that are destroying your home.
Don't let flying ants go unchecked. Contact Big Blue Bug Solutions and get that problem looked at today. Proactive control of carpenter ants can save you a lot of money and a lot of frustration.