3 ways to keep flying ants out of your house this summer

If you’ve seen flying ants outside, you might be wondering how to stop them from getting indoors and wreaking havoc.

To help you out, pest control company Rentokil has shared some advice so you don’t have to deal with the pests inside your home.

At the end of summer each year, there’s a day dedicated to the flying insects called Flying Ant Day, and this can actually go on for weeks rather than just one day.

Rentokil explains that “temperature variations across the UK will affect colonies at different times.”

It adds: “During this period you may have noticed an increase in activity from winged ants around your home and business.”

What are flying ants?

Rentokil says: “Often referred to as alates, flying ants are the fertile male and female ants whose sole purpose is to leave the nest to reproduce and start a new colony.

“This happens in the form of swarms where flying ants from multiple colonies conjoin to breed mid-air.”

How to keep flying ants out of your home

Open windows and doors are the perfect opportunity for flying ants to enter your house and Rentokil explains that “depending on the species, they can pose a huge threat to your property.”

Flying ants can enter your house through cracks and crevices (Image: Getty)

Carpenter ants that like to build nests inside timber are known for causing damage to wooden structures.

If you’ve got cracks in walls or roofs, carpenter ants will take this as an invitation to gain access to your home.

There are a few ways you can prevent flying ants from getting in your home, including by sealing any cracks or crevices that they could enter.

Try to keep windows and doors shut to keep them out or you could try putting a fly screen up so you can keep windows and doors open.

If you’re still struggling to keep the flying ants at bay and out of your home, you can get in touch with a professional pest control company to help solve the problem.

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When is Flying Ant Day?

Flying Ant Day doesn't necessarily happen on just one day, and flying ants can be visible “over a number of days,” according to the BBC.

It added: “Flying Ant Day usually arrives during the summer months.

“Flying queens, which are larger, along with smaller male flying ants fly off to set-up new colonies.

“Although there is no such thing as a specific 'Ant Day', scientists have found that ants are good at short-term weather prediction so chose a warm and calm day to travel.

“This is often in mid to late summer in the UK but varies across the country.”