Termites Are Swarming Right Now — What Scarsdale Homeowners Should Do

If you've noticed small winged insects emerging from your walls, baseboards, or near windows this April or May, you're not alone. Termite swarmer reports are coming in across Westchester County, and 2026 is shaping up to be an active season. An AOL report from April 12, 2026 confirmed that pest activity is arriving earlier than usual across the Northeast due to mild winter conditions — and termites are no exception.^[3]

Here's the thing that trips up most homeowners: seeing swarmers feels like discovering a brand-new problem. It isn't. Swarmers emerge from colonies that have been quietly building for years. The infestation wasn't created by the swarm — it was already there. What the swarm tells you is that the colony is mature enough to reproduce, which means it's been in or near your home for at least three to five years.

That's alarming and useful at the same time. Alarming because significant activity has been happening hidden from view. Useful because now you know to act. Here's everything Scarsdale homeowners need to understand about termite swarm season — what you're seeing, what it means, and what to do before calling anyone.

What Termite Swarmers Actually Are

Termite colonies are caste-based societies: workers, soldiers, and reproductives. Most of the colony — including every worker that's been eating your home's wood — never sees daylight. Swarmers, also called alates, are the reproductive caste. When a colony matures — typically after three to five years — it produces swarmers to spread the species. On a warm, humid day following rain, usually in April or May here in Westchester, thousands of them take flight simultaneously.

The critical fact that most homeowners miss: swarmers themselves don't eat wood. They exist solely to reproduce. Once they land, they shed their wings, attempt to pair up, and try to found a new colony. The vast majority fail. Only a small fraction ever establish a new colony. But the colony that produced them — the one that's been in your home — is still very much there, with workers continuing to feed.

Finding swarmers indoors is a more serious sign than finding them outdoors. Swarmers found inside your home — especially near interior walls, basement windows, or around the foundation — strongly suggest the originating colony is inside the structure, not just in adjacent soil or a stump nearby. Swarmers outside near the foundation are concerning but slightly less definitive.

Termite Swarmer vs. Ant Swarmer: The Quick Test

Carpenter ants also swarm in April and May, and from a distance, winged ants and termite swarmers look disturbingly similar. Misidentifying them leads to wrong treatment decisions — and termite treatment typically costs three to four times more than carpenter ant treatment, so getting this right before you call anyone matters. See our full carpenter ants vs. termites identification guide for a detailed comparison.

Three fast checks you can do right now:

Antennae: Termite swarmers have straight, bead-like antennae. Ant swarmers have distinctly elbowed (bent) antennae — the bend is obvious when you look closely. This is the most reliable field test.

Waist: Ants have a famously pinched waist — a narrow node between the thorax and abdomen that's clearly visible. Termites have a thick, rectangular body with no visible waist constriction. If the waist looks like it belongs on an ant, it probably does.

Wings: Termite swarmers have four wings of equal length — both pairs are nearly identical. Ant swarmers have a front pair noticeably longer than the hind pair. More importantly, termite wings snap off easily after landing, which is why finding a pile of shed wings on a windowsill — with no bodies — is one of the most diagnostic signs of termites specifically. Ant wings don't shed nearly as readily.

If you find a pile of detached wings with no insects present, that's a strong termite indicator. Bag a few specimens in a sealed plastic bag or take a photo with your phone. Any licensed inspector will want to see them.

What Subterranean Termites Do to Wood-Frame Homes

The dominant species in Westchester — and throughout the Northeast — is the subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes). These colonies live underground, sometimes 10 to 20 feet from where surface activity appears. Workers travel to your home's wood through direct soil contact or through mud tubes — pencil-width tunnels of cemented soil and saliva that allow them to travel above grade while retaining the humidity they need to survive.

Mud tubes on your foundation wall, on floor joists in the basement or crawl space, or behind drywall are some of the clearest evidence of active subterranean termite activity. They look like thin ribbons of dried mud — sometimes wavy, sometimes straight — running vertically from soil to wood.

Subterranean termites eat wood from the inside out. They hollow out the interior of beams and joists while leaving the outer layer intact. This is why termite damage is so routinely discovered by accident — during a renovation, a home sale inspection, or when a floor suddenly feels soft. By the time damage is visible to the naked eye, it's typically well past the early stage.

The NPMA estimates that termites cause $5 billion in structural damage annually across the United States — more than fires, floods, and tornadoes combined in a typical year, when you factor in the fact that most termite damage isn't covered by homeowner's insurance.^[1] Older wood-frame homes in Scarsdale and surrounding Westchester towns — many of them Colonial, Tudor, or Craftsman styles built in the 1920s through 1950s — are particularly exposed, because aging wood, settled foundations, and decades of moisture history create exactly the conditions subterranean termites exploit.

One additional sign worth knowing: frass from subterranean termites is rarely visible because they consume or use it inside the colony. If you see what looks like fine sawdust near wood, that's more consistent with carpenter ants. Subterranean termite evidence is usually mud — mud tubes, mud-packed galleries, or a faint musty odor from wood that's been colonized for years.

What to Do If You See Swarmers

Step one: don't reach for a can of consumer spray. This is the most common and most counterproductive reaction. Retail insecticides kill swarmers on contact — they're already dying anyway, since most swarmers survive only a few hours after flight. Spraying them does nothing to the colony. Worse, certain products can cause subterranean termite colonies to "bud" — splitting into multiple satellite colonies in different areas of the structure — making the problem harder to treat later.

Here's what to actually do:

1. Photograph everything. Take photos or video of where the swarmers emerged, any mud tubes you find, and wing piles on windowsills. This is useful for both identification and for the inspection. A good photo can help a professional narrow down the likely entry point before they even arrive.

2. Vacuum up dead swarmers. Dead or dying swarmers on your floors and windowsills can be vacuumed up. They won't re-infest anything. Dispose of the vacuum bag or empty the canister outside.

3. Save specimens if possible. Drop a few live or recently dead swarmers into a sealed plastic bag or a small jar. This makes identification faster and more certain.

4. Check for mud tubes. Walk your foundation perimeter — both inside (basement, crawl space) and outside. Look for pencil-width mud trails running vertically from soil level up to wood. Also check floor joists, sill plates, and any wood in contact with the foundation. Note any soft spots or areas where a screwdriver pushes into wood with unusual ease.

5. Call a licensed termite professional. This is not a DIY-treatable pest. A licensed termite inspection typically costs $75–$150 and gives you a professional assessment before you commit to any treatment. Some companies offer free inspections as part of a quote process. See the termite protection services page for more on what to expect.

Sentricon vs. Liquid Barrier Treatment

Once a professional confirms termite activity, you'll be looking at two primary treatment approaches. Both are effective when properly applied; the right choice depends on your home's foundation type, the extent of activity, and your preference for monitoring.

Sentricon Bait System — A network of small stations installed in the soil around your home's perimeter, typically every 10 feet. Workers forage into the stations and carry the active ingredient (noviflumuron) back to the colony, where it's shared through trophallaxis — the social feeding behavior that moves material throughout the colony. The queen is eventually eliminated, and the colony dies over a period of weeks to months. Sentricon is a licensed, professional-only system. It requires annual monitoring visits to check stations and replenish bait. For homes where liquid treatment isn't feasible (slab construction with no exposed perimeter soil, proximity to water features), Sentricon is often the preferred approach. Typical cost in Westchester: $1,500–$3,500 for installation plus $300/year for monitoring.

Liquid Barrier Treatment — A licensed applicator trenches around the home's foundation and injects a liquid termiticide (typically imidacloprid or fipronil) at regular intervals into the soil. The termiticide creates a continuous treated zone that termites can't detect and therefore can't avoid — workers that contact it die and pass the effect to nestmates before dying. Liquid barriers are faster-acting than bait systems and provide immediate protection. They require drilling through concrete where necessary. Effective life span is typically 5–10 years depending on soil type and the product used. Typical cost in Westchester: $1,200–$2,800 depending on foundation perimeter length.

Both treatments require annual monitoring to catch any break in the barrier or new activity. Neither option is a one-and-done fix — termite management is ongoing in a region with persistent pressure like Westchester.

Related Reading

• Carpenter Ants vs. Termites: How to Tell the Difference
• Signs of Pest Infestation You Shouldn't Ignore
• Termite Protection Services — Scarsdale & Westchester