Are you one of those people who have ants crawling by the thousands in their home and yard? Not only can ants make you and others physically uncomfortable, but they also poise a health risk if left unchecked. Well, no need to worry anymore because we are here to help.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What attracts ants to your home
- How to prevent ants from entering your home
- Types of ant poisons
- What products to use for different ants
- Our top 7 recommended ant poisons of 2019
Do you know that there are over 10,000 trillion ants in the world? These creepy, crawly bugs may be tiny, but they are one of the few insects that have successfully invaded the human space — and are here to stay.
Only a person who is suffering from an ant infestation knows how aggravating they can be. Although some ants are relatively harmless, they are definitely an eyesore. Then they are some ants which can eat up the structure of your home, can cause anaphylactic shock and contaminate your food.
If you have an ant infestation problem in your home, chances are you have tried numerous remedies without long-lasting results. What you need is a surefire solution to eliminate all ants from your home.
Read on below to find out the best ways to get your home rid of ants.
Table of Contents
Top 7 Ant Poisons of 2019
Take a look at some of the best ant poisons in the market. You can read about hem in detail below:
1. Terro T600 Ant Dust
This powerful powder kills ants instantly on contact, as well as creates a lethal barrier that prevents ants from crossing over into your house. An Amazon customer who used the products advised others not “to waste their time on anything else” as Terro T600 Ant Dust killed “tens of thousands” of ants at his warehouse.
If you detect an ant infestation in your home, just sprinkle a good amount of this powder in the cracks, on top of ant hills and around trees to take care of the situation.
- Instantly kills on contact
- Creates temporary insect barrier
- Won’t wash out in rains
- Remains lethal for more than 6 months
- Great for both indoors and outdoors
- Not safe for use around children and most pets
2. Raid Ant & Roach Killer
Raid Ant &Roach killer isn’t a long-lasting fix to prevent ants from invading your property. However, if you are looking for the quick and instantaneous death of the insects crawling right in front of you, this is the spray to use. Just one pulse of this aerosol spray can kill ants, cockroaches, silverfish and other pests in seconds.
It is a good idea to keep a can of this spray at hand for some quick “spot treating.”
- Instantly kills on contact
- Safe for use on most materials
- Eradicate insects for up to 4 weeks
- Great for both indoors and outdoors
- Repels cockroaches, silverfish and other bugs as well
- No lingering chemical odor
- Not safe for use around children and most pets
- No long-lasting effect
3. Spectracide Fire Ant Shield Mound Destroyer
Spectracide Fire Ant Shield Mound Destroyer comes with granules that can penetrate deep into a complex network of large colonies. Not only do these mound destroyer granules eradicate all the ants, including the queen, in the ant hill, but it will also prevent more ant mounds from cropping up in nearby areas.
What’s so great about it is that it can kill off carpenter ants, sugar ants and even fire ants, just a few minutes after application. For the best results, apply during morning or evening hours.
- Kills within a few minutes of application
- Eliminates entire colonies, including the queen
- Prevent development of new nests
- Not safe for use around children and most pets
- Cannot treat an indoor ant infestation
- Can harm local water bodies and drainage systems
4. Ortho Orthene Fire Ant Killer
The Ortho Orthene Fire Ant Killer is a great way to eliminate ants and their mounds in no time. The poison has the active ingredient Acephate, which effectively kills the queen and gets rid of the entire mound. The formula is so powerful, it not just kills pavement and carpenter ants but fire ants in just minutes.
- Kills fire ants, their queen, and mound in one use
- Can kill an entire colony in a single day
- One bottle can kill 5 mounds
- Reduced odor
- Does not require watering
- Not safe for use around children and most pets
- Cannot be used indoors
5. Terro Liquid Ant Baits
The great thing about Terro Liquid Ant Baits is that it is a slow-acting poison, which doesn’t just kill the ants but their entire colony as well. The bait stations contain a poison that attracts ants. Once the ants consume it, they won’t die instantly. Instead, the slow-acting poison will allow them to report back to the colony and share the bait’s location. Other ants will go to the bait and bring back the poison with them until eventually the entire colony, right up to the queen, is poisoned.
These liquid baits are also easy to use. All you need to do is snap off the tab to create an opening for the ants to enter and then place these baits near doors, window sills and wherever you see ants gathering.
- An extremely effective slow-acting poison that kills
- Bait stations are easy to use
- Sweet tasting bait attracts more ants
- Eliminates entire colonies
- Very affordable
- Not safe for use around children and most pets
- Your home will suffer from an increased number of ants in the early stages before they die out
6. Orange Guard Home Pest Control
The great thing about Orange Guard Home Pest Control is that it is an all-natural, eco-friendly, water-based spray that is perfectly safe for your children and pets. Using it is also very simple; just spray it on to the surface that is crawling with ants, and you would see the insects killed up to contact. The pests can stay away for several days to several weeks.
- Kills ants upon contact
- Safe for children and pets
- Eco-friendly
- Easy to use
- Does not have long-lasting effects
- Not as potent as other ant poisons
- Leaves a sticky residue on the surface
7. Advion Ant Gel Insecticide
Advion Ant Gel Insecticide is a no-nonsense, serious-grade insecticide which is very effective against all kinds of ants, be it your regular sugar ants, to fire ants. The active ingredient is Indoxacarb, a lethal chemical developed by DuPont. Since it comes in a tube with a pointed end, you can easily squeeze it into cracks or ant burrows.
Advion gel works similar to Terro baits; the gel is applied anywhere where there is an ant trail. Ants will swarm onto the gel and take it back to the colony with them, spreading the poison, killing the queen, and exterminating the entire colony.
- Slow-acting poison that kills the entire colony
- Kills the entire colony by spreading the poison
- Easy to use
- Gel enters into cracks and does not drip
- Homeowners will see an increased number of ants as they swarm to the gel
- Not as potent as other ant poisons
- Leaves sticky gel on every place
- Not safe for children and small pets
Our Top Pick
Based on user reviews, effectiveness and durability, we recommend that anyone who is suffering from an ant problem should use the Terro T600 Ant Dust, one of the most powerful ant killer in the market. Not only does this product kill ants almost immediately, but its effects also last up to 8 months.
What Attract Ants to Your Home?
Seeing thousands of ants marching into your home can be quite baffling, especially when it seems you haven’t done anything to warrant their attention. However, there are a few things that can attract ants to your home. Some common alluring things include unsealed containers of sugar, dog food, cereal, fruit and even the smell of food rotting in the garbage.
Ants live in colonies and are constantly on the lookout for food for survival. These resourceful pests will take advantage of any possible entry points — including cracks, gutters, and leaky pipes — into your home if they sense something edible. Once the scout ants find a food source, they will signal the other ants to follow its trail, get into your home, and walk all over your food. The number of ants will steadily increase until the food source remains available.
How Do You Prevent Ants From Entering Your Home?
To prevent ants from entering your home here is what you can do:
- Make sure you keep your food sealed tightly
- Clean up any spills and crumbs
- Do not leave out any dirty plates
- Throw out the garbage every day.
- Also, eliminate moisture from leaky pipes
However, even these preventive measures aren’t always enough to stop an infestation.
Types of Ant Poisons
Here are some of the types of ant poisons you can use to get rid of ants.
What Products To Use For Different Ants
Although there are many poisons that can kill all types of ants, there are certain ants that should be targeted with specific poisons.
For example, a sweet bait station may attract sugar ants and pavement ants but doesn’t do much against fire ants that are not attracted to sweet stuff. Carpenter ants eat through wooden structure and burrow deep into the wood. For this, you need an effective poison that can specifically kill these types of ants.
Additionally, some poisons are designed for indoor use and others for outdoor use specifically, because of their ingredients. Make sure you pick an ant poison that is the best fit for your situation.
Having said that, if you have a large infestation, we also recommend hiring the service of a professional exterminator before you attempt to deal with the issue yourself. An exterminator can answer your questions and also get to the root of the problem, which can result in the long-term elimination of your ant situation.