Flying termites are swarmers: winged adult termites that leave a mature colony to mate and start new ones. Seeing them inside your house usually means an active termite colony in or under the building. Swarmers themselves can’t damage wood and die within about a day. Vacuum them up, save a few in a sealed bag, and book a termite inspection.
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Saw Flying Termites? What to Do Right Now
- Don’t spray them. Swarmers die on their own within hours to a day. Spraying doesn’t reach the colony that sent them.
- Keep a sample. Put a few bodies and wings in a zip bag or jar so a pest professional can confirm the species.
- Vacuum the rest, including shed wings on windowsills and floors.
- Note where they came from: a window frame, a crack in the floor, a baseboard, a door frame or a light fixture. That spot helps an inspector find the colony.
- Look for other signs: mud tubes on the foundation, hollow-sounding wood, bubbling paint or pellet-like droppings.
- Book an inspection. Many companies inspect for free. See termite inspection cost for what to expect.
Flying Termite Pictures
Flying termites are dark brown to black in most subterranean species, and pale yellow to reddish-brown in Formosan and drywood termites. They are 1/4 to 1/2 inch long with wings. The four wings are clear or milky, all the same length, and twice as long as the body. The wings snap off easily, so piles of shed wings are often the first thing people find.
Flying Termites vs Flying Ants
| Feature | Flying termite | Flying ant |
|---|---|---|
| Antennae | Straight, like beads on a string | Bent at an elbow |
| Waist | Thick, the same width as the body | Narrow and pinched |
| Wings | 4 wings, all the same length | Front wings longer than back wings |
| Wing length | About twice the body length | A little longer than the body |
| Wings after landing | Shed quickly, left in piles | Usually stay on longer |
More pictures of each: flying ants vs termites and what termites look like.
What Flying Termites in Your House Mean
| Where you see them | What it likely means |
|---|---|
| Inside, coming out of walls, floors, window frames or baseboards | An active colony in or under the house. Needs an inspection. |
| Inside, only a few near an open door or light | They may have flown in from outside. Watch for more and check for other signs. |
| Outside, next to the foundation, porch or patio | A colony may be feeding on the house. Get it inspected. |
| Outside, from a stump, woodpile or fence post in the yard | A colony in the yard. Not necessarily a problem for the house, but remove wood from near the walls. |
Colonies usually need several years to grow large enough to swarm, so a swarm from your house often means termites have been feeding for a while. That makes an inspection urgent, but not an emergency: termite damage builds over months and years, so you have time to compare quotes.
When Do Termites Swarm?
| Termite | Swarm season | Time of day |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern subterranean | Spring (late winter in Florida), often after warm rain | Daytime |
| Formosan | Late spring to early summer, after warm, rainy weather | Evening, drawn to lights |
| West Indian drywood | April to July | Evening and night |
| Southeastern drywood | May to November | Evening and night |
| Western drywood | Late August to November | Daytime |
Swarms last from a few minutes to an hour. Most swarmers never start a colony: birds, ants and dry conditions kill the vast majority.
How to Get Rid of Flying Termites
Getting rid of the swarmers is easy. Getting rid of the colony is the real job.
The swarmers
- Vacuum or sweep them up and empty the vacuum outside.
- Turn off indoor and porch lights during a swarm and close curtains; swarmers fly toward light.
- Sticky traps near windows catch stragglers.
The colony
- Subterranean and Formosan termites: professional liquid soil treatment around the foundation, or a bait system. Both reach the colony in the soil.
- Drywood termites: spot treatment of infested wood for small areas, or fumigation (tenting) for widespread infestations. See termite tenting.
- DIY options such as bait stations, orange oil or borate wood treatments help with monitoring or small, reachable spots, but rarely eliminate an established colony in a house.
Compare methods and prices in termite treatment cost.
How to Prevent Future Swarms
- Fix leaks and keep gutters and downspouts draining away from the house.
- Keep mulch, firewood and wood debris away from the foundation.
- Keep a gap between soil and any wood siding or framing.
- Get an annual termite inspection if you live in a high-risk area such as the Southeast, Gulf Coast or California.
Products for swarms and monitoring
- Sticky window traps to catch swarmers near light
- Termite bait stations to monitor for subterranean termites around the house
- Small zip bags to keep a swarmer sample for identification
A swarm from inside your home needs a professional inspection. These products help you monitor, not replace treatment.
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Flying Termite FAQs
Flying termites coming out of walls, floors or window frames inside your home almost always mean a colony is in or under the house. A few that flew in through an open door may have come from outside.
No. Termite swarmers can’t damage wood and die within about a day. The workers in the colony that produced them are the ones eating wood.
A vacuum removes flying termites fastest, and any household insect spray kills them on contact. Neither reaches the colony, so you still need an inspection.
Warm, humid weather after rain softens the soil and gives swarmers the moisture they need to survive and dig into the ground to start a new colony.
A swarm usually lasts minutes to an hour. Swarmers indoors dry out and die within a day, but colonies can swarm again on other warm days in the same season.
More Termite Guides
- Signs of termites
- Termite droppings
- Termite life cycle
- Termite damage and repair cost
- How to prevent termites
Sources
- University of Kentucky Entomology: Termites
- National Pest Management Association: Subterranean termites
- National Pest Management Association: Formosan termites
- UF/IFAS Extension: Drywood and dampwood termites
Facts in this guide are checked against the sources above and reviewed when they change. See how we research in our editorial policy.