Termite Swarm vs Flying Termites
Termite season is upon us, and if you live in Melbourne or the surrounding suburbs, you might start noticing tiny winged insects fluttering around your home. But are you seeing individual flying termites, or is it a full termite swarm? Understanding the difference is crucial for spotting these critters before they cause serious damage.
For many homeowners, the first encounter with termite swarms can be startling. You might notice a small cluster near a window, or find a scattering of discarded wings on the floor after a warm spring evening. It’s easy to feel unsure about what you’re seeing – are these harmless insects, or one of the early warning signs that termites are already nearby? At Specialist Termite Control, we often see that early awareness makes all the difference in protecting a home from damage.
If you’ve spotted flying termites or signs of a swarm, booking a professional termite inspection now can save time, stress, and costly repairs later.
In this guide, we’ll break down the differences between flying termites and swarms, what to look for in your home, and what steps you can take to protect your property.
Table of Contents
What Are Flying Termites?
Flying termites (also referred to as alates) are the reproductive adults from a mature termite colony. These winged insects are different from worker termites that are wingless, subterranean and blind.
Flying termites emerge in swarms during certain times of the year to mate and found new colonies – this usually only happens during good environmental conditions. When flying termites appear on your property, it usually means there’s an established colony in the area or nearby.
Identifying Flying Termites (Alates)
When termites first appear (flying or not), it’s useful to be able to identify them by their distinguishing characteristics and behaviour. Flying termites have straight, bead-like antennae, a broad waist and two pairs of wings of the same length. Flying termites are also drawn to light, and it’s common to find them swarming around windows and lights outside the home during a mating flight.
Lifecycle and Behaviour of Flying Termites
Flying termites mate and reproduce to begin a new colony. The first step of their life cycle begins when mature alates leave the original colony to swarm. Alates then mate and shed their wings to pair off and form new colonies. Once the queen and king begin to lay eggs, the life cycle repeats itself.
What Is a Termite Swarm?
A termite swarm is a collective flight of mature, winged termites from their colony to commence their mating and colony expansion activities. Termite swarms differ from individual flying termites in that they involve a large number of insects taking flight at the same time. As a result, termite swarms can be identified by a cloud of activity in a particular area.
As well as understanding how to spot a swarm of termites in action, it’s also important to be aware of the conditions that are conducive to a swarm occurring and the signs that they can leave behind.
When Do Termite Swarms Occur?
Termite swarms typically occur in warm and humid weather, usually after rain when environmental conditions are ideal for alates to leave the colony. In Melbourne, this is likely to be from October through to the end of summer, but it can vary year on year depending on the weather and the termite species. Swarming also typically occurs in the evening when termites are less prone to predators and dehydration.
Signs of a Termite Swarm in Your Home
Even if you don’t see a swarm in action, there are other signs that you can look out for to identify whether termites may be present in your home. This can include piles of discarded wings around window sills or light fittings, small clusters of insects around doors, and mud tubes across walls or foundations. Identifying these signs early is key to preventing major structural termite damage to your property.
Flying Termites vs Active Infestation: Key Differences
There is an important difference between termites flying around your home and termites actively infesting it. Termite swarming is not just about breeding, it is also about spreading their species to new areas. It is common for termites to travel with the breeze several kilometres from their original colony site, and this is not necessarily an indicator that termites are nesting in your home. A frequent misconception is that the termites flying around and often landing on your home are able to infest it directly.
In Victoria, it is very rare for a colony to be established within a home. In almost all cases, the colony is located in suitable harbourage outside the property, and it is the worker termites that later enter through the soil to supply the colony with food. For homeowners considering termite control in Melbourne, it is important to know that not all flying termites are destructive. The majority of Australia’s 350 recorded species are grass-feeding or decay-feeding termites, which are very unlikely to damage your building. The time of year that swarming occurs is also a useful clue in identifying the species, and a quick call to a Termite Specialist can help confirm what you are seeing.
Heavy numbers of flying termites may indicate an active infestation or that you live in an area with many mature colonies that could attack your property in the future. Any sighting of flying termites is a sign you are in a risk zone, and the risk increases with the size and frequency of swarms. Keep in mind that swarms can vary from year to year or occur at certain times of the day, so missing a flight does not guarantee there are no colonies nearby.
Each season, many homeowners only discover they need termite treatment after experiencing swarms inside the home. Internal swarming is a strong sign of infestation. Seeing a few flying termites should always trigger a professional termite inspection, but finding large numbers (over 100) indoors is almost certain evidence of an active infestation. In our experience, once swarms occur inside a property, the infestation has usually been established for three to five years.
If you notice flying termites or suspect an active issue, arranging a professional termite inspection in Melbourne is the best way to identify the source and protect your home.
By paying attention to these differences, you can go from spotting insects to really understanding how to get rid of termites from your home.
How Long Does a Termite Swarm Last?
The duration of a real swarm can be a lot shorter than people think. Aerial termite mating swarms typically last just a few hours on a hot and humid evening. The majority of these events take place during after a rainstorm, and individual flying termites may only spend as much time in the air as it takes to mate and locate a suitable nesting spot.
Swarms can occur more than once during the season if conditions are right. So if you spot flying termites once, don’t assume they’ll be the last you see – it’s a warning sign to stay vigilant and take action.
What to Do if You Spot Flying Termites or a Termite Swarm in Your House
The first instinct when you spot flying termites or other evidence of a swarm inside your home is to take action. There are a few basic things you can do yourself before you call your local termite specialists.
What to Do Before Calling your Termite Specialists
Less is best until a professional can assess the situation however, a simple and effective way to manage flying termites inside the home is to tape a bag over the flight areas if they can be identified. This works far better than spraying chemicals. Opening windows and doors or turning on outdoor lights will only encourage the termites to fly out, but it is worth remembering that they will not infest your home.
Termites see your house as if it were a tree in the bush, and they are only attempting to start a new colony where suitable timber and moisture are available. Most Victorian homes do not provide the conditions needed for that, so the flying termites quickly dehydrate and will usually be dead by morning.
Inspecting Your Home for Termite Activity
Termites ingress is covert and concealed within the timbers themselves making termites experts at remaining out of sight while inflicting damage to your timber, flooring and structural components. By the time you suspect there may be a problem, a lot of damage could have occurred, which is why a professional termite inspection is vital. If you attempt to check for signs of termite activity yourself, you will likely miss them.
You might be wondering, “how often should you get a termite inspection?” To protect your property and avoid expensive termite damage, you should organise a termite inspection once a year at a minimum.
Melbourne is high-risk due to our older properties and seasonal swarming behaviour. Scheduling regular professional inspections will help to give you peace of mind and may help you avoid major termite damage and costly repairs.
If you’re seeing signs of termites or are just looking to be proactive, the only safe and effective solution is to book in a professional termite inspection.
When to Call a Professional
Not every sighting of flying termites or a small swarm requires immediate panic, but there are certain situations where contacting a licensed specialist termite control service is essential. Once a professional is called, they can assess the extent of the infestation and recommend the most effective termite treatments.
Some of the common termite control treatments include chemical treatments to the ground and around the home. A treated zone is created which not only repels termites from entering your home but also keeps any spreading colonies at bay. Baiting stations can be used to attract termites to the poisoned food source, which kills the colony over time.
In some cases, localised dusting or foam treatments can be applied in areas of infestation. In the case of more severe or widespread infestations, it may be necessary to completely remove the termite nest or carry out a range of different control methods for the most complete protection.
By enlisting our friendly termite control services early, homeowners can have the problem eradicated and also be able to seek advice and guidance on how to manage termite activity for the future.
Prevent Flying Termite Infestations on your Property
Proactive termite prevention begins with never giving them a reason to feel at home in the first place. Termites are deterred by a dry and well-ventilated home, and they are less likely to take up residence in your home if you avoid common attractors like moisture around foundations, garden beds too close to timber structures, and untreated or unpainted wood.
The best time to identify risk areas and correct them is before they become a real problem. Specialist Termite Control is a fully licenced termite control service offering Melbourne homeowners a free termite assessment to help them identify risk areas on their property and take steps to prevent termites from taking hold. Whether you’ve already noticed termites in your home or not, a professional inspection is the best way to prevent a problem before it happens.
Don’t wait until you notice a termite swarm or tell-tale signs of damage. Contact us today to arrange your termite inspection and protect your home from termites all year round.
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