The only thing that seems worse than the average household ant is one that can fly. These ants are known as winged ants or flying ants. They only come out during certain times of the year, where they can travel a little farther and faster than ants without wings. Here are some tips for eliminating an infestation.

Find the Entry Points and Seal Them

Before you start exterminating the flying ants you find in your home, you need to keep more from getting in. This requires inspecting your home and looking for possible places they are getting in. A good place to start is your window and door screens. While you might keep the screens closed when airing out your home, there could be small holes or tears in the screens where the flies are getting in. Remember they are very small and only need a tiny hole or crack to let themselves in. Next, check around the windows and doors for cracks as this is a common place to have them. Also check other areas of your home that might have entry points, such as plumbing areas or underneath the porch.

Destroy the Nest

Once you have sealed all entry points, it is time to find the nest, which is likely close to your house. There may be more than one, so don't stop looking just because you found one nest. You will likely see some of the flying ants circling around the area where the nest is located, which could be under your eaves, near the porch or patio, or outside close to where one of the entry points was. You can also try following flying ants to see where they go. You might eventually catch one heading to a specific area in your yard where you find the nest. You need to destroy all nests you find to reduce the ants that try to get back in your house.

Kill the Flying Ants

Now it is time to actually kill the flying ants that are currently invading your home. You want something that won't kill them right away, but that they can take back to any nests you might have missed. You can either use gel bait or boric acid. Both of these will harm the ants, but not immediately. They will bring it with them to where other winged ants are located. That way, more of the ants are killed at once.

Call a Pest Control Company

When all else fails, you may need to call a pest control company (like Statewide Pest Control). They will help you find and destroy the nests, and give you tips for avoiding an infestation in the future. The pest control company can also help to eliminate any winged ants you can't seem to get to.