It is a calm, sunny afternoon a day or two after a good fall rain. Suddenly there is a cloud of winged insects lifting off the lawn, or a handful of them fluttering against the sunniest window in the house. Around Oroville, Chico and the rest of the Sacramento Valley, this is one of the most common things homeowners ask us about this time of year, and the first question is always the same: are those termites?
Sometimes they are. Plenty of times they are flying ants. The good news is that you can usually tell the difference in under a minute, and the answer tells you a lot about what to do next.
Why Winged Insects Show Up After the First Fall Rains
Western subterranean termites are the most common termite in Northern California. Once a colony is mature, it sends out winged reproductives, called swarmers, to pair up and start new colonies. According to the University of California Statewide IPM Program, these swarms happen on calm, sunny days right after the first autumn rains, and the effect is especially noticeable in parts of the Sacramento Valley. In the northern Sacramento Valley and the Sierra foothills, they can swarm again in spring.
Many ant species also fly after rain, for the same reason: damp, soft soil makes it easier to start a new nest. Same weather, same week, similar-looking insects. That is why the two get mixed up so often.
5 Ways to Tell Termite Swarmers From Flying Ants
- Look at the waist. Ants have a pinched, narrow waist between the chest and the abdomen, like an hourglass. Termites are thick through the middle, almost the same width from head to tail.
- Check the antennae. Ant antennae bend at a sharp elbow. Termite antennae are straight and look like a short string of tiny beads.
- Compare the wings. Termites have four wings that are all the same length, and they extend well past the end of the body. Flying ants have a longer front pair and a noticeably shorter back pair.
- Look for wings left behind. Termite swarmers drop their wings soon after they land. A small pile of identical, see-through wings on a windowsill, a patio or near a door is one of the clearest termite signs there is.
- Notice where they came from. A swarm rising out of the lawn, an old stump, a fence post or a woodpile points to an outdoor colony. Swarmers or wings inside the house, along baseboards, around windows or near a bathroom or kitchen wall, are the ones worth a closer look.
What a Swarm Does and Does Not Mean
Seeing termites swarm in your yard does not automatically mean your house has termites. Subterranean termites are native to California. They were living in fallen trees and stumps here long before anyone built a house, and they still do. A swarm from the back lawn may belong to a colony in a neighbor's old stump.
Swarmers that show up indoors are a different story. If they are coming out inside the house, the colony is more likely to be in the structure or connected to it through the soil. The swarmers themselves do not feed on wood, but they tell you a mature colony is close by.
What to Do If You Spot a Swarm: A Quick Checklist
- Take a photo and note the spot. Where they came out and when is the most useful thing you can hand an inspector.
- Save a few if you can. A handful in a sealed bag or a small jar makes identification easy.
- Skip the spray can. Spraying the swarmers does nothing to the colony underground, and it removes the evidence that helps us find where they came from.
- Look for other signs. Pencil-wide mud tubes running up the foundation, small piles of pellets below wood trim (a drywood termite sign), or wood that sounds hollow when you tap it.
- Cut down wood-to-soil contact. Scrap lumber, old stumps near the house and wood stacked directly on the ground are the kind of material subterranean termites feed on.
- Do not feel rushed. A swarm is over in a day or so. You have time to get an honest answer before making any decisions.
When to Call, and What a Termite Inspection Looks Like
If you found swarmers or wings inside, or you see mud tubes along the foundation, it is a good time to schedule a termite inspection. One of our trained technicians walks your property inside and out: the foundation, crawlspace, attic, eaves and any wood touching soil. We identify whether you are dealing with subterranean or drywood termites, because they need different plans.
You get a written report within 24 to 48 hours, with photos of what we found and pricing included. Inspection, treatment and any structural repair are handled by the same local team, so you have one point of contact from start to finish. Honest options, clear pricing, no scare tactics and no upsells.
Hunters Services has been family owned and locally operated since 1992, and we were the first eco-friendly pest control company in Northern California. If you are not sure what you saw, send us the photo or give us a call at (530) 342-8950 for a free estimate. CA Lic. OPR 9803.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Statewide IPM Program, Pests in the Urban Landscape blog and Pest Notes: Subterranean and Other Termites.