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I'm kind of in an inbetween land right now where I can't determine if I have an ant infestation or not.

Every morning when I leave for work I find half a dozen dead winged ants near my front door. They are never more than 1-2 feet away from the door. I clean them up and dispose of them but the next morning more appear in the same area. always approx. half a dozen. Never more than 7-8 (always dead). This door is directly connected to the outside of the house. The obvious assumption is that they are coming in from outside but I checked meticulously for cracks and there were none, but as with insects I understand they can squeeze in through the smallest places. Although I desperately wish this was the case, I am a pessimist by nature so I think of worse and worse situations. The next being...

But then question arises - why are they dead. Well a quick online search discovers that these kind of ants will die after mating. So if they're mating and then dying, does that mean their bodies are being discarded by their brethren from somewhere inside the house? So I looked online some more - and these guides outlined very general points for an infestation. The clearest point being, "If I have a bunch of dead ants located in an area" then I most likely have an infestation.

But how much is a "bunch" is it 6 dead flying ants? or is it 50 dead flying ants. or is it 100+?

So I take this question to this group - is there a method I can use to somehow determine if I have an infestation or are these ants just kinda flying their way in through small cracks and then dropping dead in the front door?

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    Did you ever here of a stakeout?
    – JACK
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 20:14
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    My understanding is once they have wings, it means the nest is mature and they're looking to expand. So you may have a monster sized nest nearby and not know it. It's way too much of a coincidence to keep finding them in the same place. I agree with @JACK .... Get a 6-pack, a small TV, and just sit and watch for a while. They won't mind you being there. It'll be boring but the 6-pack will help ;)
    – Kyle B
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 20:25
  • Ah yes, the long game. If I was rich I was also thinking of setting up a comprehensive camera system with point by point camera zoom and movement detection
    – RtxTrillihin
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 20:25
  • the thing that should really concern you is that they are dead ... whatever is killing the ants may also be harmful to humans
    – jsotola
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 20:27
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    Are you sure they’re ants and not termites? Pic? Anyway dead winged ants are probably males. The female winged ants will mate then land somewhere and look for a spot to set up a new nest and then lose their wings and become queens. It’s also possible that someone has sprayed poison in a location that crosses their path out of a nest and as they leave the nest they get poisoned and happen to die near your door.
    – RibaldEddie
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 20:37

1 Answer 1

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Let's determine what they are, since the treatment will differ.

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Ants would be harmless, while Termites can create serious damage to your home.

Ants need food source (left overs and spills)

Termites use your home as food.

But before you freak out, Termites are usually not out in the open, only once per year when they propagate (expand to new home).

If it is an Ant, those are FLAYING MALES following the Queen to mate. Here are two possibilities. You have an Ant nest somewhere near outside, and few get lost in the confusion. The other is you have a Queen inside your home starting a nest.

The treatment will depend on what they are.

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  • Some ants are not harmless. Carpenter ants will damage the structure of your wood frame home. They can also be audible inside as they scrabble around in your house framing. That’s one unfortunate way to discover a nest, as I have experienced first hand.
    – RibaldEddie
    Commented Jun 21, 2022 at 23:19
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    This is a comment, not an answer.
    – gnicko
    Commented Jun 22, 2022 at 3:27
  • @gnicko how so, it is a full flagged answer, thanks for nothing and downvote
    – DIY75
    Commented Jun 22, 2022 at 3:41
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    You say: "Let's determine what they are, since the treatment will differ."... Once you use comments to determine the details necessary to answer the question (e.g. what they are) write up a proper answer to the original question which was "how to determine if there is an infestation" and I'll take back the downvote.
    – gnicko
    Commented Jun 22, 2022 at 3:50
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    @knowitall Are we reading the same question? While it would make a difference with how to eradicate the bugs, there is no "how to identify" in the original question: "is there a method I can use to somehow determine if I have an infestation or are these ants just kinda flying their way in through small cracks and then dropping dead in the front door?" You're on the right track, but this is not an answer. It is a comment seeking clarification.
    – gnicko
    Commented Jun 22, 2022 at 12:22

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