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greenemama
06-03-2005, 06:59 PM
all over my desk lamp and swirling around in here! all of the sudden. what can we do. it's making me sick! :sick2

::itching all over emoticon inserted here::

boonpnutsmom
06-03-2005, 07:10 PM
Are you sure that they are ants? It is termite season. If they are attracted to the light, best bet they are termites. Is the air really still by you? There are flying ants but they are usually around all the time, not just by lights.

The easiest thing to do, get a bowl and fill it halfway with water, set it next to a light that you are not sitting by, they will be attracted to the light and fall prey to the water, easy fix solution. Turn off as many lights at possible, and when you get a chance check all the screens and doors, there is usually a crack or a tear in a screen or door not closed all the way, they can find their way in the smallest opening.

Good luck!!!

azgirls
06-03-2005, 07:17 PM
Oh man, I hope they are NOT ants. I had an ant problem recently and tried everything to get rid of them myself. They were the fire ants that are soo aggressive and bite! :doh YIKES! I ended up having to hire an exterminator to come out to get rid of them.
Good luck!!

greenemama
06-03-2005, 07:31 PM
ugh -- termites! does that mean they're in the house? as in, "you've got termites and your house is ruined?" :eek

do they bite?

i've got a bowl under the lamp and there are about six drowning mystery bugs inside it. dh laughed at me and said, "you women are out to solve the world's problems!" when i was headed for the bowl. well. we'll have to see. :rolleyes

i think we need an exterminator to come, anyway. the sunporch has a horrible amount of spiders lurking in every window's corner. ::shudder::

thanks mamas!

Radosny Matka
06-03-2005, 07:36 PM
If they are termites, they are the swarmers. Swarmers are sent out each year to start new colonies. Seeing swarmers does not mean your house is infected, but it isn't a good sign. It means that if termites are not in your house now, they are looking towards your house as a yummy food source. :banghead We had termites in IL, and it's not fun (i'll spare the details). :banghead :banghead Termites do not bite people. They eat wood. If these bugs are swarmers, you will find dropped wings - especially in places like windowsills. :hug

poetmom
06-04-2005, 06:21 AM
If these bugs are swarmers, you will find dropped wings - especially in places like windowsills. :hug


We have these every spring in our apartment, on every windowsill. Thanks for solving the mystery of what in the world they come from!!! ::shudder:::

boonpnutsmom
06-04-2005, 11:17 AM
Swarming season for ground termite, these are the ones most commonly seen if from April to September. They do not bite. Most likely you will find lost wings, they do not live very long after losing their rings as that is their main source of travel. Termite are random foragers, this means they are looking for a food source, but not necessarily your home fits that bill. Take note of when you see them the most, it is usually on nights where/when there is no wind. We know that on these nights to turn on the turtles lights and they will get a very good nurtrional treat. And its free also.

As for the spiders, pleae be careful. I do not know what kind of spiders you have but rule of thumb, no chemicals can penetrate egg sacks, NOTHING, so yes best left to pest control operators. When we get REALLY big jobs like the Police Department parking garage, they go in on a weekend night and use gas torches to kill the egg sacks, but we are talking thousands and thousands of spiders in a really dark yucky place. There are chemicals that pest control operators use that do eliminate the spiders, but you have to make sure they check for egg sacks and destryo these or take them away also of you will have continual problems

Beyond Blessed
06-04-2005, 11:24 AM
I thought I had termites awhile back - then googles it and found this...

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/termites/dif.JPG :pray for the best!

boonpnutsmom
06-04-2005, 11:28 AM
Yep we use these fliers also to help out customers distinguish if they do indeed have ants or termites also.

Iarwain
06-05-2005, 06:58 PM
We used to get flying ants in our house at this time of year at one particular house we lived in. We checked they WERE definitely ants. We figured out that there had to be a colony living INside our house somewhere that they were coming from.

greenemama
06-05-2005, 08:56 PM
that pic posted (link) makes me think they're ants.

the exterminator is coming this week for the yearly inspection, etc. we've a bat sleeping on the front stoop (up at the roof) and he poops on the floor. icky. and we're majorly freaked out by bats over here. :eek :eek :eek

the spiders, flying ants (termites?) and bats are enough to seek prof. help in our minds.

thanks for all of the help, girls! :cup