Flying Ants Plaguing Galt As Swarming Season Underway
GALT (CBS13) - There's a pesky problem plaguing Galt. Several residents are dealing with ants swarming their properties and swimming pools.
CBS13 asked an expert about what's drawing the pests in and what can be done to stop them.
Shanda Dozier isn't looking for any ripe veggies in her garden at her home in Galt. She's looking for flying ants.
"The infestation of flying ants in our house and around our whole property," Dozier said.
The bugs are really starting to tick her and her family off.
"We've always had problems with ants. But, I've never seen these before. And they're bad this year -- for about a month or two now," Dozier said.
Dozier isn't alone.
CBS13 spoke to others in the Galt area who have also seen the pests buzzing around their homes and in their pools. Some are fishing out hundreds of them.
We wanted to know why are so many flying ants crashing area homes and pools. A Clark Pest Control spokesperson said that this is swarm season for the ants and they're looking for mates.
The heat, humidity levels, and higher soil temperatures are drawing them out of the ground.
Clark recommends people cut down on bright lights, cut down at excess water in the yard, and cover their pools to prevent attracting the bugs.
Knowing what kind of ant they are is important, especially if they form a colony.
"Some ant species simply nest in the ground and are just nuisance crawling pests. Whereas other species, something like a carpenter ant, can do damage to your home," said Blair Smith, Technical Manager at Clark Pest Control
'Tis the season for swarming ants, one many hope ends sooner rather than later.
"Pray. All day, every day," Dozier said. "It feels like they're never going to go away because they haven't."
Another reason why Clark Pest Control says it's important to get a professional pest control company to identify the swarm of bugs is that they may not be ants. They could be termites because it's also their swarming season.
