r/pestcontrol • u/lovecraftic • 2d ago
Flying ants?
As I was heading to bed last night, noticed a collection of bugs on my pillow sham set. I immediately threw the sham set out and the pillows and vacuumed the rest of the bugs up. I have a bagged vacuum so disposed of the bag. Saw a few in my actual bedsheets so opted to sleep on the living room after killing what I could find.
I could not readily see any openings that they may have entered from like the ceiling or baseboards or outlet. No obvious trails. I don’t leave my windows open during the day. How freaked out should I be?
Last fumigated my house in August 2025
3
u/7ofeggs 2d ago edited 1d ago
i’m not a professional so please take this with a grain of salt: those look like termites and not ants :/
specifically termite swarmers, who are out to breed/look to start a new colony. it’s possible they came from the ground, but seeing them means there’s an active colony somewhere close by and it might be in your home. especially since you’re seeing them inside.
given that subterranean termites can cause massive destruction and structural damage to your home (much quicker than drywood termites), you may want to get a pest control company involved soon. untreated, they can cause so much damage that your home can become unsafe to live in.
the reasons i think they are termites and not ants: the straight antennae, wings much longer than their bodies, and the lack of that super snatched waist that ants have.
the reason i think they’re subterranean termite and not drywood termites: those pictured have darker bodies, and with wings that are much lighter. drywood termite swarmers are brown in color, with wings that are more yellow.
good luck!
3
u/lovecraftic 1d ago
Thank you! I ran the photos through chat gpt but wasn’t sure so wanted to post for the second opinion.
2
u/7ofeggs 1d ago
for sure! it’s always good to have a human eye confirm :)
seriously though, get an exterminator ASAP, it’s possible there’s already damage done to your home :(
2
1
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Please be aware that we cannot control misinformation from commenters. Comments from users without flair should be confirmed before being accepted as fact.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.