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TwinLakesChef OC, CA & Twin Lakes , IA(Zone 4b) Sep 10, 2006

Swarming on the windowsill . . . .sorry the picture isn't so clear; I am worried they are termites.

Thank You in advance,

Added Note:
Solved Yellow Ant

This message was edited Sep 12, 2006 12:18 PM

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TwinLakesChef OC, CA & Twin Lakes , IA(Zone 4b) Sep 10, 2006

The babies look like tiny red ants; can't really see them very well even with my glasses on. the bigger ones with wings are about 1/4 inch long.

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lwhalliday Pittsboro, NC(Zone 7a) Sep 10, 2006

They probably are ants of some kind. The worker ants are usually much smaller than the winged ones. The ones with wings are the reproductive males and females.

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TwinLakesChef OC, CA & Twin Lakes , IA(Zone 4b) Sep 11, 2006

So why do they show up in swarms every Sept and we do'nt see them again for a year?

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DonHo Edmonton, AB(Zone 4b) Sep 11, 2006

It is my understanding that ants produce winged males and females once a year in the late summer/early fall for the purposes of reproduction and dispersal. The winged ants fly far enough away from the original colony so as not to compete with it for resourcs. I have witnessed the same swarming behavior just outside my back door in late summer. The swarms at my backdoor were ants.

Peace...

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TwinLakesChef OC, CA & Twin Lakes , IA(Zone 4b) Sep 12, 2006

Well thank you for the peace of mind. I never see ants IN my house and rarely see them on the walkways outdoors as my husband does a regular spray schedule.

How on earth are they in one corner of my kitchen every Fall . . . I don't understand it.

And you are right, Don. It happens every late Aug - early Sept.

I want to tear out the wall in that corner and see what is back there. How can they live in there all year long and we only see them once a year. ?

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DonHo Edmonton, AB(Zone 4b) Sep 12, 2006

I hear aspartame works well as an ant killer. Googling aspartame + ants should give you some more information. There must be a colony that lives in that area of your kitchen. Good luck!

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TwinLakesChef OC, CA & Twin Lakes , IA(Zone 4b) Sep 12, 2006

Iowa State Extension Service confirmed it to be a yellow ant and everything you said about the swarming is true.

It's funny that I don't see them all year long. My husband took some WD-40 (of all things) and stuck it back as far into the hole as he could and sprayed. Haven't seen one since. I think I will have the exterminator spray something in there too.

It's beyond me how they ever got started. We have owned this house about 15 years and it has only happened last Fall and again now.

Thanks for your help.
arlene

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