By Michael Cadenhead, ACE — Associate Certified Entomologist, Licensed Pest Control Operator (FDACS), CEO of Cadenhead Services, Inc.
Real-World Scenarios: What Customers Call Us About Every Day During Swarm Season
After decades of protecting homes across NW Florida, we hear the same calls every spring. Here's how to read the situation — and what to actually do.
Scenario 1: "I found a few winged bugs inside near my door or window."
What's likely happening: This is the most common call we get during swarm season, and in the majority of cases it is not an interior infestation.
When Formosan or Eastern subterranean termites swarm at night, they are strongly attracted to light — exterior fixtures, lit windows, and light coming through gaps around doors. A handful of swarmers finding their way inside through a door threshold, a window gap, or a torn screen is almost always connected to an outdoor swarm being drawn to the light inside your home. They followed the light in. That's it.
What to do: - Don't panic and don't spray anything. These insects won't bite you, won't sting you, and won't damage anything inside your home. - Vacuum them up. A standard vacuum handles them immediately and cleanly. - Seal the entry point if you can find it — a gap in a door sweep, a torn window screen, or an unsealed threshold.
Should you be concerned? A few swarmers coming in from outside is a low-risk event. That said, if this is happening every swarm season, it's worth considering a preventative bait station system like Sentricon® — not because you have an infestation, but because you have documented termite pressure on your property and prevention is far cheaper than treatment.
Scenario 2: "I have hundreds — maybe thousands — of them inside one room."
What's likely happening: This is a different situation entirely, and it should be taken seriously.
When you have large numbers of swarmers — with wings and bodies — emerging inside your home, that is a strong indication of an interior swarm. It means there is an active termite colony somewhere inside your structure that has matured to the point of releasing reproductives. They have created an exit point — a small hole or gap — and the swarmers are emerging from inside the wall, floor, or ceiling.
How to find the exit point:
One of the most reliable signs is a small pile of dirt or fine debris on the floor near a baseboard, window sill, or at the base of a wall. Here's why: as termites construct and mud up their exit holes from inside the wall, that soil and material dries out quickly in your air-conditioned environment. Without moisture and without vibration to keep it disturbed, it settles and accumulates in a small pile directly below where it came from.
Look directly above that pile. You will typically find the exit hole — a small pinhole or gap in the drywall, baseboard, window frame, or wall surface. Note the location. Take a photo. Do not spray it, seal it, or disturb it before an inspector sees it.
What to do right now: 1. Do not spray. Insecticides at the exit point will not reach the colony and will scatter the evidence an inspector needs. 2. Vacuum up swarmers as they emerge — this manages the immediate situation without disrupting inspection evidence. 3. Isolate the room. If the activity is concentrated in one room, close the door and place a towel along the base of the door to contain them. Leave a light on inside the room — a lamp or night light. Swarmers are drawn to light, so keeping a light source inside the closed room will concentrate them there and prevent them from spreading through the rest of the house. Leave it until the swarm event ends — typically 30 to 60 minutes. 4. Call us. An interior swarm at this volume is an urgent inspection, not a wait-and-see situation. The colony that produced this swarm has been established inside your structure for at least 3 to 5 years.
Scenario 3: "I see swarmers hitting my porch light or exterior fixtures every night."
What's likely happening: There is an active colony on or near your property — in the soil, a nearby tree, a wood pile, or a stump. The swarmers are not coming from inside your home; they are being attracted from the surrounding area by your exterior lighting.
What to do: - Switch exterior bulbs to amber or yellow LED — these wavelengths are far less attractive to swarming termites than standard white or cool-spectrum bulbs. - Schedule a preventative inspection and consider bait station installation. You have documented termite pressure on your property during active swarm season. The question is not whether termites are nearby — it's whether your home is protected.
Expanded FAQ: Questions We Hear Every Day During Swarm Season
What should I do if I see termite swarmers? First — don't spray them, don't panic, and don't reach for the bug spray. The swarmers themselves cause zero damage. What matters is reading the situation: a few near a door or window during swarm season almost always means an outdoor swarm attracted by your lights. Hundreds emerging from inside one area means there is an active interior colony with an exit point inside your wall. In both cases: collect a few in a ziplock bag, photograph where they're coming from, and call a licensed professional within 24 to 48 hours while evidence is still fresh.
Can termite swarmers hurt me or my pets? No. Termite swarmers do not bite, do not sting, and carry no venom. They are completely harmless to people and animals. The only risk they represent is the possibility of establishing a new colony — which the vast majority (99%+) fail to do.
I only found a few inside. Should I be worried? A small number near doors or windows during swarm season is almost always an outdoor swarm being drawn in through a gap. Vacuum them up, seal any visible entry points (door sweep gaps, torn screens, threshold gaps), and consider scheduling an inspection if you're in a high-risk area without active protection. It is not an emergency — but it's useful information about termite pressure on your property.
I found hundreds inside one room. What do I do right now? Close off that room. Place a towel under the door. Turn on a light inside to concentrate the swarmers there. Vacuum up what you can. Do not spray anything. Look for a small pile of dirt or fine debris on the floor near a baseboard or window — then look directly above it for a small exit hole in the wall. Photograph everything and leave it intact. Then call us immediately at (850) 682-4333. This is an urgent situation.
I found a small pile of dirt near my baseboard or window sill. What is that? This is one of the most important things you can find during swarm season. When termites construct exit holes inside a wall, the soil and material they use dries out quickly in your air-conditioned home and falls, accumulating in a small pile below. Look directly above that pile — the exit hole is almost always right there. Do not disturb it, spray it, or seal it. Photograph it and call for an inspection immediately.
Should I vacuum up termite swarmers? Yes — vacuuming is exactly the right approach. It's clean, immediate, and doesn't contaminate the area with chemicals that would interfere with a professional inspection. Empty the vacuum bag or canister outside when you're done.
What if swarmers are coming in through my door or window every evening? They're following your lights. Switch exterior bulbs to amber or yellow LED — these are significantly less attractive to termites than white or blue-spectrum bulbs. Check for gaps in door sweeps, window screens, and threshold seals. And schedule an inspection — consistent evening pressure during swarm season means there is a mature colony in close proximity to your home.
Can termite swarmers that get inside actually start a colony in my house? Technically possible, but very unlikely in a well-maintained home. To establish a colony, a male and female swarmer must find each other, locate suitable wood, and successfully mate and begin building — all while surviving in your air-conditioned, low-humidity interior. The vast majority die before this happens. However, homes with clogged gutters retaining decomposing organic matter, crawl spaces, unventilated attic voids, or any wood-to-soil contact points do provide potential establishment sites. Annual monitoring catches any new pressure before it becomes a colony.
Is a termite swarm the same colony swarming every year? Yes — once a colony reaches maturity, it typically swarms once per season annually. If you see swarmers from the same area of your home or yard two springs in a row, that is a strong signal that an established colony has not been treated, not that a new infestation is starting each time.
Do I need a termite inspection if I haven't seen any swarmers? Yes. Colonies feed for years — sometimes a decade or more — before they are large enough to swarm. The absence of visible swarmers does not mean the absence of termites. Annual professional inspections are the only reliable way to detect active feeding before it becomes visible structural damage.
Cadenhead Services, Inc. has been a licensed, family-owned pest control company serving the Florida Panhandle since 1983. All technicians are licensed through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Ask to see credentials on every visit.
4.9 stars | 390 reviews | (850) 682-4333
The Most Important Thing Homeowners Get Wrong During Swarm Season
Every spring, we get calls from homeowners who did the one thing that makes our job harder: they panicked and started treating.
They grabbed a can of Raid. They sprayed the baseboard. They doused the exit hole with bleach or cleaner. They called a big-box store and bought a liquid termiticide and poured it around the foundation.
Here's what that actually accomplishes: nothing useful, and often something harmful.
The swarmers — the winged termites flying around your room — are already dying. Once a termite alate leaves the colony, its biological clock starts counting down fast. These insects live less than 24 hours once they swarm — most die within hours of leaving the nest due to dehydration, predation, or failure to find a suitable mate (University of Florida IFAS Extension; Bugbustersusa.com extension reference). Their entire purpose is to fly out, find a mate, and attempt to establish a new colony under the most exact, perfect environmental conditions. The overwhelming majority fail. They die on windowsills, on floors, in light fixtures. They were going to die anyway.
Spraying them with an over-the-counter product does not help. It does not reach the colony. It does not treat the infestation. All it does is contaminate the area that a licensed professional needs to inspect — and in some cases, it can actually drive the colony deeper into the structure, making it harder to locate and treat effectively.
Think of a Termite Swarmer Like a Love Bug
Here in the Florida Panhandle, everyone knows love bugs. Every spring and fall, they swarm by the thousands — hitting windshields, coating car grilles, landing on your arms and shoulders. And almost nobody panics. Nobody runs inside and grabs bug spray. People just deal with it, maybe wash the car afterward, and go on with their day.
A termite swarmer is the love bug of the insect world.
Same concept: they swarm in large numbers, they're attracted to light, they find mates, they live very short lives, and they land on things — including you. They don't bite. They don't sting. They don't carry disease. They don't damage anything. They are purely a nuisance with one biological goal: reproduction.
The difference between a love bug swarm and a termite swarm is that the termite swarm is telling you something. It's a signal — either of a nearby outdoor colony (low urgency) or an active interior infestation (needs professional attention). But the swarmers themselves? They're harmless. Treat them like love bugs: a nuisance, not a threat.
What NOT to Do During a Swarm (And Why It Matters)
| What Homeowners Do | Why It's a Problem |
|---|---|
| Spray swarmers with Raid or bug spray | Doesn't reach the colony; contaminates inspection area; may drive colony deeper |
| Pour bleach or cleaner near exit holes | Damages the evidence inspectors need; doesn't kill the colony |
| Apply store-bought liquid termiticide around foundation | No penetration depth to reach foraging tunnels; gives false sense of protection |
| Seal the exit hole with caulk or filler | Traps evidence; termites will simply create new exit points |
| Fog or bomb the room | Kills only surface insects; does nothing to the colony; leaves residue |
The right move is always the same: contain, document, and call a professional. Everything else delays effective treatment.
One Additional Risk Worth Knowing
Once termite swarmers die — and they die quickly — their bodies become food. Dead swarmer bodies on floors and windowsills will attract other insects: ants, beetles, spiders, and other secondary feeders. This is a temporary secondary nuisance that resolves on its own, but it can alarm homeowners who don't expect it.
If you see small ants or other insects congregating where swarmers died — that's normal scavenger behavior, not a new infestation. Vacuum everything up (swarmers and all), wipe down the surfaces, and the secondary visitors will disappear within a day or two.
