Swarming Termites

Anyone having issues with swarming termites? They keep popping up all over our home... We just checked the attic and it's full of them. Any suggestions?

Kill them by hand-they will usually swarm away-you can drive down some streets around here and run into them. They do this every year.

We keep our lights off when they are swarming since they are attracted to the brightness.

They swarm every year at this time. A new queen is trying to find a new home to establish a colony. There's not much you can do.

Swarms not as bad as it was last year, with the low rain falls expect this to happen for another day or so. Thankfully it rained today so it might keep the swarm down to a bare minimum maybe.

Mrs P wrote:

We just checked the attic and it's full of them. Any suggestions?

Check Home depot, I think they had a smoke fogger you could use to keep them down especially if you use it with cedarcide. dunno if it'll help much or not. But keep you're exterior lights off, and swap you're bulbs out with insect bulbs would also help (Yellow tinted bulbs)

also you could try this, i use a variation of it, without the dishsoap. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-all-p...

Mrs P wrote:

We just checked the attic and it's full of them. Any suggestions?

You might check again. The swarming bugs are subterranean termites. They live in the ground. If they are in your attic, they've been there a while or they're not termites.

Every time this happened to me (twice in thirty years) it meant that my house had termites.

Most termites come from underground and get into the house through mud tunnels or cracks in the slab.

If you have a slab house, completely check around the perimeter slab for mud tunnels to your brick line or wood line. You will find them full of little white termites.

If your house is on bricks or piles, check the same way.

Home Depot has some termite chemicals that you can spread around the perimeter of the house. It isn't cheap but it is about 1/10 the price of having an exerminator do it.- This stuff lasts about 5 years if done right.

I have no experience with the Formosa termites that have come in via the Port.

Cloradane(sp) lasted forever(the reason they banned it) and now Dursban has been banned. The pool supply business on Preston/Pasadena Blvd. used to have the strongest stuff available as cheap as you could get anywhere.

I called my pest guy he said the swarmers are Formosa's. Turn off your lights at night.

They are horrible tonight because of the rain

strange to see this topic - I thought I saw just one also today crawling on my driveway

Elaine wrote:

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You might check again. The swarming bugs are subterranean termites. They live in the ground. If they are in your attic, they've been there a while or they're not termites.

I live in a second floor apartment unit. The holes in my ceiling in various spots attest otherwise...

Nothing that caulk and a vacuum cleaner didn't address, though.