Ants with Wings in My Bathroom

Updated on June 01, 2010
R.W. asks from Columbia, IL
13 answers

I have these ants with wings in my bathroom. They don't seem to be able to fly, they kind of jump. How do I get rid of them. R.

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K.K.

answers from Dallas on

It could be ants or it could be termites. Many ants have wings while they are getting ready to re-nest. This is the time of year both ants and termites will be swarming. Carpentar ants can be a big problem as well as termites. We have battled both, and prefer to use a exterminator for those jobs. Carpentar ants will often take over area's that have been previosly decayed from termite damage, or rotting wood.

Both ants and termites will drop their wings fairly quickly as they are only used to swarm to a new location, usually a short distance.

Termites have bodies that are tubular sections (like tiny sausages) while ants have more rounded portions.

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Whether ants or termites, you've got an established nest in your house and the fliers have just hatched out and are looking to breed and/or establish new nests. Get an exterminator asap.

1 mom found this helpful

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

We don't have a lot of termites here in Illinois. They are most likely flying ants. Don't let anybody tell you there aren't such things as flying ants, because there are! Termites are bigger, brownish and fatter than a flying ant. If I were you, I'd have an exterminator out to evaluate the situation, just for your piece of mind. Ants chew on wood too -- I had to replace an awning over my front door because of ants chewing the wood.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

yeah, ants don't have wings, so I agree it is either termites or another kind of insect that really needs to be addressed by a exterminator before more damage is done.

D.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Get an exterminator out soon. We had ants with wings at our old house and they are carpenter ants. So they are eating wood somewhere. We had to replace a beam. They like moisuture areas, so it could be that you have a leak somewhere too Our ants ate thru a beam that had collected water from rain. Not fun. Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.

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S.W.

answers from Kansas City on

You need to clean with diluted bleach. Google it, the result is kind of disgusting. Apparently those bugs eat the residual organic matter found in the bathrooms (i.e. the residue washed from your body but stays in the pipes, etc.) My son used to bathe in our jacuzzi and we just ran some bleach water through the system and that did the trick. Good luck

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M.B.

answers from Wichita on

Ants absolutely can have wings. If you look on the internet, there are some pretty good side by side comparison pictures of ants and termites. You should fairly easily be able to tell which it is. THEN you have to figure out if they are carpenter ants (REALLY BAD) or just the little ants that are looking to make a new nest. Either way, you will most likely want to get an exterminator. If you are pretty sure that they are just regular ants, you can get a spray from Lowe's or somewhere. It is really not that big of a deal, but carpenter ants and termites are yucky. They give me the heeby- geebies!

A.C.

answers from Jacksonville on

That sure sounds like what I found in the bathroom of my first apartment. The bad news? Termites! Call immediately and have your home inspected by a pest control professional. Even if it's not termites it's probably something you want to get rid of. Either way I would call pest control right away. Good Luck!

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D.V.

answers from Kansas City on

We had the same problem two years ago, turns out we had a massive carpenter and and termite infestation. They were found in the bathroom around the bathtub. Get this checked out ASAP!

Good luck

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

They're termites. They will fly, give them time, lol. Don't let people scare you about termites. They can be controlled. When you call an exterminator make sure when you get it treated, you get a repair and damage replacement guarantee, not simply a guarantee. That will insure you are covered if any damage is done in the future. Once termites find a place they like to come back to it....Living in GA, ants and termites are inevitable. It takes a lot of damage over many years to destroy anything. The damage replacement will keep you covered.

M.

J.B.

answers from Houston on

I am in agreement with the termite posts. We had them, it totally grossed me out. If it is termites you will probably be able to look around and find some really tiny hole/s in your wall and there will be a little dirt right at the opening of the hole. If you see that, it's definitely termites. We tried to get stuff that you can buy at home improvement stores but it didn't work. Finally we just called an exterminator and they came and took care of it and then they come yearly and do a check and it there are ever termites again, they take care of them for free, other than the small fee we pay for them to check. To get the problem resolved was about $400 for us, but that was two years ago and we haven't had them since. Good luck!!

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

Those are termites. Call an exterminator. We thought they were ants last year, but they aren't.

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C.W.

answers from Washington DC on

I am thinking those are termites. Call now. They can really tear up a house in no time

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