What Every Property Owner In New Jersey Needs To Know About Termite Swarms

In the spring, termite colonies throughout New Jersey do something you should be on the lookout for. They will release winged termites from their nests. These winged termites are very different from other termites. One important difference is that they are attracted to light. Other termites prefer complete darkness. This love of darkness is what makes termites so sneaky when they get into a home and begin to damage it. Swarmers aren’t sneaky at all. They can appear right out in the open. But there are a few reasons you may not notice them. Let’s take a look at these reasons.

Swarmer Identification

If you don’t know what a swarmer looks like, you can miss them as an important warning sign that your property is being damaged. Swarmers in New Jersey don’t look like worker termites. They’re not a pale color like worker termites; they’re black. And swarmers have wings. These wings are important for identification because they’re the most prominent visual characteristic of a warmer.

Termite swarmers’ wings are:

Stacked on top of each other

Rounded at the tips

A water drop shape

Twice as long as the body of a warmer

White in coloration (or a slight yellow color, depending on the species)

Where Swarmers Emerge

There are two locations where swarmers may emerge. One is obvious. The other is not so obvious.

Indoors — If winged termites appear inside your home, you’re going to notice them. Even though a termite swarmer is only ⅜ of an inch long (including its wings) it is hard to miss when it is with hundreds of other swarmers, crawling around on the interior window panes of your home.

Outdoors — Most of the time, termite swarmers leave their nests and emerge outside of man-made structures. This is because Eastern subterranean termites don’t create nests inside the wood of structures. They establish their nests in soil. When they emerge outside, they can be easily missed because there are a lot of insects outside. But, keep in mind that very few insects swarm together on your property. If you see a flutter of activity, take the time to find out what insects you’re looking at.

How Long Swarms Last

It would be easy to catch swarmers if swarms lasted a long time. All of those black insects with their white wings are hard to miss when they congregate on surfaces. Unfortunately, swarmers don’t last for more than about thirty minutes. After this, those swarmers select a mate, couple off, and look for a location to establish a nest. Each of these couples will be the queens and kings of new nests. Yes. That is as bad as it sounds.

How Far Swarmers Travel

Termite alates gather together in a swarm for the purpose of mate selection. They don’t have to travel anywhere. Their mate is in the swarm with them. For this reason, swarms don’t travel very far. This fact is less about detection and more about what it means when you see swarmers in your yard. The appearance of swarmers, even on the outside of your home, is a warning sign of a current and mature infestation on your property. When you see them, it is vital that you reach out to a certified termite control professional and have your property inspected.

Termite Control In New Jersey

If you need termite control for your New Jersey home, find out if you’re in our service area. The service team here at Amco Pest Solutions is always standing by to assist you with your pest control needs. We’ll guide you toward the right solution. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.