Flies or Termites in Millstone

When you’re a pest control technician, there are many days when you don’t know what surprise is waiting for you around the corner. You think that that you are going to a client to deal with one thing, but the problem turns out to be something entirely different. Today was a great example. 

I was contacted by a representative of one of my commercial accounts in Millstone, NJ She was in extreme panic mode because their office bathroom was suddenly bombarded by a large cluster of "flies” that seemingly came out of nowhere. On my way there, based on her description, I was expecting to find a drain fly infestation. I know their building inside and out, and I thought that these insects were likely breeding in the hardly used floor drain. Once I arrived, I grabbed my trusty flashlight and proceeded to the bathroom expecting to confirm my suspicions. Lo and behold, there was not a drain fly in sight. There were plenty of bugs flying around, that’s for sure. But these insects looked nothing like drain flies. I knew immediately what I was dealing with. These were eastern subterranean termite swarmers. 

Termite swarmers are easily recognized by their two pairs of equal length wings, round head, and a long, thin body that does not appear to be segmented (like with ants). Also, termite antennae are straight. It’s easy to confuse ant swarmers with termite swarmers if you are not familiar with them. After all, both are black, both have wings, and most important, you want both of them out of your home or business!  However, if you look carefully, ant swarmers have a very distinguished pinched waist, two pairs of different sized wings, and elbowed antennae. These insects require completely different treatments. Termites are, by far, a much more serious infestation than ants. There is no other insect like wood-devouring termites that is capable of causing significant property damage to a home or commercial structure.

A termite swarm is how termites start new colonies. These winged reproductives leave the colony looking for a mate. Once they find a suitable mate (termites are not too fussy about choosing their mates and have a very short courtship before getting down to business), they drop off they lose their wings, reenter the soil, and begin to establish a new nest. A mature colony usually does not produce swarmers until the colony is 3 to 5 years old. The swarming event is usually tied to weather conditions and humidity. You’ll see termite swarms anywhere from March through May when temperatures are mild and the ground is moist. 

This video shows the swarmers milling around, looking for a mate, and two termites "hooking up" (without even using Tinder!). To destroy this colony, I’ll perform a liquid termiticide perimeter treatment to create a barrier that will protect the building. I’ll also need to drilling vertically through the concrete in the bathroom to treating the soil underneath since the underground nest is not too far from where the swarmers had emerged. These bugs are actually small enough to get through cracks in the concrete slab.