Do flying ants come out of the carpet??

Question

my friend lives on the first floor and she said flying ants come out of the carpet... do they bite as well? if they do come out of the carpet how do they come through?

Answer 1

Those are mature termites (they do look like flying ants). Yes, they can come out of the carpet, and yes, they do sometimes bite. They have rather sharp "teeth" for chewing through wood, then it is easy for them to go under the carpet and out.

Answer 2

You sure they arn't termites.If ants/all ants fly when starting a new nest(swarm).But so do termites.

Answer 3

Yes, and you must be careful.  They are higly poisonous.  They will bore themselves under your skin and chew through to the bone.  Then, they lay about 50-75 eggs, which hatch in a few weeks.  The site then becomes engourged and bursts.

Answer 4

Sounds like they're working their way up from the flooring under the carpet.  It definitely needs to be dealt with as the critters are likely causing structural damage to the place.  Ants/termites eat wood - so they are probably under the carpet, and pushing up through looking to expand their territory.

Definitely call the landlord (sounded like you're in an apartment situation).  The carpet should be pulled up to assess the extent of the problem.  Part of the sub-floor may need to be replaced.  

Extermination is definitely in order as well.  Don't spray the carpet with bug spray --- you have to get underneath to fix this.

The sooner its dealt with the better.

Answer 5

First you need to make sure they ARE flying ants and NOT termites. They look very similar. Flying ants have 3 body segments, just like regular ants. Termites have only 2 body segments. They are not likely "coming out" of the carpet, but swarmed inside the house and are just being seen on the carpet. If they ARE flying ants, check out this website for control:

http://www.ghorganics.com/page11.html

If they turn out to be termites, you need to contact the landlord if it's a rental or an exterminator if she owns the home. Either way, it should be done ASAP since the damage they cause is great and they reproduce rather quickly. When they swarm, they are creating new colonies. This applies to flying ants as well. There may be natural remedies for termites, but I wasn't able to find any.

Answer 6

I would catch one or some of the ants, or termites, or whatever they are and take them either to a nursery, and I don't mean Lowes or Home Depot, an actual nursery or to your local college's science department.  Those people will be able to identify the bug and tell you what you are dealing with.  They will also be able to recommend a way to eliminate them, either by yourself or a company that can come in and handle them for you.  The local college might even be able to send students over to do it for free or a small fee.