Flying ants really get a bad press, but most of us just misunderstand what they are doing when they sprout wings and fly.
A flying ant only sprouts wings to get from one place to a new colony.
Once it has found a place to live the wings will drop off the creature and it becomes just another of those tiny creatures that we all love to hate.
There are dangerous varieties of course and these include fire, bullet and army varieties that we should avoid at all costs.
However, most of them only want to find food and water for the colony and this is why we see them invading our own space since we leave enough of this around for them to have easy pickings.
One of the most misunderstood varieties of this creature is the carpenter variety.
Everyone thinks that this creature eats the wood in our homes, much like termites.
However, the carpenter is only after a place to live and merely burrows into the wood to make a home for the colony.
Termites, on the other hand, eat the cellulose in the wood causing it to collapse and get weak over time.
In fact, having the carpenter variety in residence will probably keep the home in good condition since they eat termites at every given opportunity.
If they are eating up these destructive little creatures at every turn, the home should stay in good condition for longer, right? This surely is a green way of keeping termites at bay while allowing these creatures to live in peace.
Colonies of these creatures rarely exceed four thousand members so this is really not a huge amount to have in one house.
However, there are many people who just cannot stand the thought of them burrowing away deep in the fabric of the building so they either try home spun methods of killing them off, or they call in the experts to do the work for them.
To start the process, householders should wash down all surfaces, in the kitchen in particular, with hot water and bleach.
Make sure no crumbs are left around the place and mop up water spills as soon as they occur.
It is crumbs and water droplets that these creatures are looking for so if there is none, they have to go elsewhere for sure.
Sprays and powders are available to try to rid the house of this critter, but unless the nest is found, it is probably a waste of time.
Tiny holes in wood should show where they entered the wood to build the gallery which houses the colony but sprays cannot get right inside to where they are.
Professionals will surely know how to rid the home of any kind of pest for sure so it may be a good idea to go online to check out what company does this work in the local area.
By getting someone local, call-backs or follow-up visits are easier to organize and they are always there to advise the householder on other pest infestations too.