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They may also come in for food, which serves as a source of water as well. When extremely hot weather moves in and outdoor conditions become too dry, ants may seek moisture indoors. While it may serve as a way of bonding socially, regurgitating also helps ants share water and food. This is known as trophallaxis and is ingrained in the social lives of ant colonies. They also help one another survive by regurgitating food from their foreguts into their mouths. Much of the water ants consume is obtained through their food. While ants need water to survive, they don’t require a tall glass fresh from the tap or fridge like humans. If you’ve ever dropped a piece of food on the floor and returned later to find a trail of ants devouring the food, you may know how quickly they can pick up on the presence of an easy food source. Whether they have wings or not, ants have a strong sense of smell and can pick up the presence of a food source from a distance. They can take advantage of small crumbs on the floor, spills not wiped up on countertops, or dirty dishes left in the sink. Since humans regularly prepare and eat food that ants find nourishing and appealing, it makes sense that they would head inside a home with an easy entry point. Searching for FoodĪnts often head indoors in search of readily available food sources. Look at the four primary reasons you may see flying ants indoors.
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Flying ants aren’t much different from any other pest when invading a home. 4 Reasons Flying Ants May Enter Your HomeĪnts enter homes when there are easy entry points something they need is potentially found inside.
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Let’s discuss why these ants may want to come into your home and what you should do once that happens. That doesn’t mean you have ants living in your home, but it’s also not something you want to ignore. If you have an ant colony near your home, a flying ant may make their way into your home at some point. That includes but isn’t limited to the following types of ants: Most ants you see crawling outdoors or inside your home can develop wings and become flying ants when they reach sexual maturity. Queens have the tough task of finding hospitable land and establishing a colony before it’s devoured by predators or wiped out by Mother Nature. Their job is to mate and find new areas to establish colonies. After mating, the males will die while the females lose their wings and become queens, ready to start their colonies.įlying ants are often sent out in swarms when a colony is too large, and it’s time to expand. Males and females can develop wings and help their colonies grow through reproduction. What are Flying Ants?įlying ants are winged ants that have reached sexual maturity. We have that information and more for you right here.
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Understanding that purpose and what ants are searching for at this point in their lives will help you figure out how to eliminate them effectively. While you may get accustomed to seeing ants crawling outdoors or even occasionally entering your home in search of sweet, sugary treats, you may gasp in surprise the first time you see a flying ant.Īnts only develop wings at a certain phase in their life, and they leave their colonies for one specific purpose.
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There are multiple types of ants commonly encountered in the Austin and Houston area, from fire ants to carpenter ants and acrobat ants.
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