Flying Ant
Scientific Name
Lasius niger
Season
April To September
Size
3-15 mm In Length
Characteristics
Flying ants aren’t technically a specific species, but are sexually mature male and females of certain ant species, including black ants, carpenter ants and red ants. During the summer, when they are ready, they will swarm together to breed, on an event known as ‘flying ant day’.
Public Health Risk Level:
Medium
Property Damage Risk Level:
Low
Frequently asked questions
No, they pose a very low risk to public health and cause no direct property damage. Flying ants in the UK do not sting and rarely bite. However, they are a massive seasonal nuisance. When hundreds or thousands of them suddenly emerge inside a room, their presence can be incredibly distressing and highly unsanitary, especially if they swarm near kitchens, food preparation areas, or businesses.
If you see a few flying ants near an open window, they have likely just flown in from outside. However, if hundreds of flying ants are suddenly swarming inside a room, it is a definitive sign that there is an established ant nest directly underneath your property. The nest is typically hidden beneath the floorboards, inside cavity walls, or under the building’s foundations, and the winged ants are climbing upward into your living space to escape.
Flying ants are not a separate species of ant. They are simply the sexually mature queens and males of the common black garden ant colony. They emerge all at once during a synchronized event often called “Flying Ant Day,” which typically happens during warm, humid days in July or August. The ants sprout wings and leave their nests in massive numbers to mate in flight and establish new colonies.
While the flying insects themselves will only live for a few days before dying off naturally, vacuuming them up only deals with the symptom. The underlying nest beneath your home will remain active and continue to cause issues. To solve the problem permanently, Invicta Environmental uses specialized, professional-grade baits and targeted treatments that worker ants carry deep into the hidden nest, completely destroying the colony and the queen.
