Emergency Pest Control in New Jersey

Termites swarming right now: the next hour

Swarmers are the winged, reproductive termites a colony sends out once a year to start new colonies. They're weak fliers, they don't bite or sting, and indoors they dry out and die quickly. You can deal with them calmly:

1. Grab a vacuum. Vacuum the swarmers and the wings off the floor, windowsills and walls. That's all they need.
2. Save a sample first. Put a few bodies in a zip-top bag or press them onto clear tape. Identification is the first thing we'll want.
3. Note where they came from. A crack in the slab, a gap at the baseboard, a window frame, the bathtub trap? Snap a photo of the spot. This is valuable.
4. Close off the room if they're still coming out, and turn off lights nearby — swarmers fly toward light.
5. Call or text us to set up an inspection. You don't need to panic-book a contractor tonight.

Found only wings, with no bugs? That often means the swarm happened while you were out. It still counts — save the wings and call.

What a termite swarm actually tells you

The termites that swarm in North Jersey are almost always eastern subterranean termites. They live in the soil, travel up into the house through mud tubes, cracks and gaps, and feed on wood out of sight.

• The colony is established. A colony doesn't swarm until it's mature, which usually takes several years. A swarm means it's been there a while.
• It's close. Swarmers indoors almost always come from a colony in the soil under or right next to the house, with workers already feeding inside the structure.
• The swarmers aren't the threat. The worker termites you never see do the damage. Killing the swarmers does nothing to the colony.
• New colonies are rarely the issue. Most swarmers die without starting anything. The problem is the colony that produced them.

Swarms in New Jersey usually happen on warm days in spring, often after rain, and frequently around midday. A heated basement can trigger one earlier, even in late winter.

How a termite swarm is treated

Treatment targets the colony and its path into the house, not the swarmers. For most North Jersey homes we recommend a soil treatment along the foundation, so termites traveling between the soil and the house pass through treated ground, plus treatment of the active areas we find inside.

• Soil (liquid) treatment creates a treated zone around the foundation. Our page on whether termite spray works explains how it works and its limits.
• Bait systems are another approach some homeowners ask about. The Sentricon vs. liquid treatment guide compares them honestly — ask us which fits your home.
• Fixing the conditions matters as much as the product: moving downspouts, fixing leaks, pulling mulch and wood back from the foundation.

Before we start, we tell you where we'll treat, how long it takes, and what to expect afterward. If you see another swarm after treatment, call us and we'll take a look.