Flying ants can't swim

They must have swarmed last night because the pool was covered with them this morning. I remember seeing what I think were Termites after a swarm up in Jocotepec but they were much smaller and didn't need to drown to die. The only good sized ants here are leaf cutter but these are larger .... so what are they? I did find the info below that says winged ants are usually larger than the worker ants so they could be leaf cutter.

After a nocturnal nuptial flight

Periodically, usually following by 3-5 days a heavy rain, the winged reproductive forms emerge from the colony in large swarms. Such swarming behavior is usually synchronized by other nearby colonies so large numbers of winged ants suddenly appear. All mating for the species takes place, often over the course of a single day. The males die and the mated females disperse to attempt establishing a new colony.

Alates (winged ants) are typically larger than the worker caste of wingless, sterile females, so are more noticeable for that reason as well.

Winged Invasion

No bugs like the rain it seems, especially the heavy rains we've had for the last 4-5 days.  My house is crawling with sow bugs, flies and ants that were not to be seen a week ago.  Also some ants swarm with the first heavy rains - that is they grow wings and try to fly - by the thousands.  All the ones I've seen have not been very successful, they are just all over the yard and left behind wings flutter around like little kites.

Local gringo talk is they are termites but I've had a constant battle with leaf cutting ants.  I just asked my drinking water guy today and he says they are leaf cutters that get drowned out of their underground nests.  The termite story is some of the tribe are thrown out of the nest to go make a new colony.  I'll go with flooded leaf cutters.  In my back patio there were thousands of little ones, 20-30 wasp looking ones and a few beetle like creatures - all with wings. I did my best to end the lives of as many as I could with the rational of saving my garden.

Some of the small ants on my back patio


Termites but they look similar


Mine had the two part body is another reason I think leaf cutters