Are Termites Swarming in Wesley Chapel Right Now?

If you are seeing small winged insects flying around your windows, coming out of your walls or piling up on your windowsills right now, the answer is almost certainly yes. April through June is peak termite swarm season in Wesley Chapel. Eastern Subterranean termites swarm during the day, usually after a warm rain. Formosan termites swarm at night from April through July, often around outdoor lights. Both species are active in this area right now and both produce swarmers that show up suddenly, fill a room for 30 minutes to an hour and then disappear leaving piles of shed wings behind.

Most people who call us during swarm season say the same thing. They walked into a room and out of nowhere there were hundreds of winged insects flying around the window. Then they were gone. Then they found the wings. That is exactly how a termite swarm looks.

What Is Actually Happening

A termite swarm is not the termite problem. It is the sign that the problem already exists and has been existing for a while. Termite colonies do not produce swarmers until they are mature, usually three to five years old. By the time you see a swarm inside your home, a colony has been quietly feeding on the wood in your walls, floors or framing for years. The swarmers fly out to mate and start new colonies. They do not eat wood. The workers left behind in the colony are the ones doing the damage and they do not stop just because the swarmers came out.

Seeing a swarm inside your home is actually one of the clearest warning signs of an active termite infestation you will ever get. Most termite damage happens completely out of sight for years with no visible signs at all. A swarm tells you something is there. That is more than most homeowners get before the repair bills show up.

Is It Termites or Flying Ants

This is the first question most people ask. Flying ants and termite swarmers look similar but there are clear differences. Termites have straight antennae, a thick waist with no pinch and two sets of wings that are the exact same size. Flying ants have bent antennae, a pinched waist and front wings that are noticeably larger than the back wings. The shed wings termites leave behind are all uniform in size. If you are finding piles of same sized wings near your windows or doors right now in Wesley Chapel, those are termite wings.

If you are not sure what you are looking at, take a photo and call us. We will identify it immediately.

What to Do Right Now

Do not spray bug spray on the swarmers. Do not seal up the area where they came from. Both of those things do nothing to the actual colony and may scatter termites into other parts of your home before a professional can locate the source.

Take a photo or short video of the swarm if you can. Note exactly where in the house you saw them, whether they were coming from walls, floors, the ceiling or outside. Call us right away at 813-305-0505 for a free termite inspection. If you found shed wings but missed the swarm, call us anyway. Wings are enough. Our termite treatment program starts with a thorough inspection of the entire structure so we can find the colony and eliminate it before it does any more damage.

Swarm season inspection slots fill up fast in Wesley Chapel. If you saw swarmers today, call today.