Late August and early September mark the traditional swarming season for moisture ants and damp wood termites. These insects can often be seen flying out of stumps and rotting wood at dawn and dusk.
Frequently they will wait till after a rain to improve the chance of finding places that will retain water.
Swarming insects emerge in such numbers that almost every home in western Washington will encounter some of these large brown insects inside. Occasionally, wind driven insects will accumulate against a wall where they shed their wings and walk off looking for nest sites. This can be quite unnerving but if your home is in good repair they can not nest in your home.
By themselves the swarmers are harmless but if you find them coming out of a building in large numbers you should get expert help as this is often a sign of a bigger problem. For these insects to swarm from a building requires a source of water that is usually accompanied by rot.
These insects cannot survive without a constant supply of water so it is seldom necessary to use pesticides to control them.
Eliminating the water sources is the only permanent solution but can mean having a contractor dismantle portions of the building to find and eliminate the source of the water. As daunting as it seems the repairs should not be put off for long because decay can progress quickly and the insects can help spread the damage.<