If you have an ant infestation in your home, it’s important to find an effective ant killer as soon as possible. The best products will not only kill the visible ants, they’ll also get back to the queen where they can eliminate the whole colony.
The first step in choosing the best ant killer for your needs is identifying the type of ant you’re dealing with. Choosing a successful ant killer is impossible if you misdiagnose your pest. It’s often best to seek professional help when you need an ant control solution because an experienced exterminator can easily pinpoint the type of ant that you’re dealing with. Some common ants in the United States include:
Determine what kind of ant you’re dealing with first, so you can purchase specialized ant killers where available.
Natural remedies like vinegar and water used to disrupt an ant trail or cayenne pepper or lemons near a nest may offer moderate relief by altering the ants’ behavior temporarily. However, these substances are not ant killers. In some cases, these remedies can just disturb the colony enough to make it split, worsening your problem.
Ant killers are only effective when you take steps to prevent a future infestation. If your home continues to provide a welcoming haven for these insects, you will probably battle them again in the future. Discourage ants in your home by:
There are many products on the market to help you target an ant infestation. A single ant mound can contain up to 200,000 ants, so it’s important to take a broad approach to any ant problems in or around your home. The primary goal of any ant killer is to eliminate the queen and wipe out the colony. Some options to consider include:
Try some of these popular products for your ant infestation.
This product is an effective solution for carpenter ants, and the biodegradable formula makes it a perfect pick for use inside the home. The bait features a GABA inhibitor which begins to disrupt the insect’s nervous system in 24 hours. This gives the ant time to take the bait back to the nest so it’s distributed among the colony, wiping out your infestation quickly. This is not for use in an area that’s been treated with another insecticide, as this will make the bait undesirable. Though formulated for carpenter ants, this can work with other ant species as well.
These liquid bait stations contain liquid borax that kills the ants in two to three days. This provides time for the ants to spread the bait among the colony. These stations are neat and easy to set out and later dispose of.
Effective against small invasions, this is one of the best spray products available. It doesn’t have a lingering odor and kills pests on contact and for up to four weeks after.
This gel comes in a syringe and contains Fipronil, which kills ants in three to five days. The gel is easy to apply in small cracks, so you can place a dab of the poison anywhere it’s needed.
While these killers may work on small infestations, larger colonies usually require an expert. A professional pest control treatment is best if the problem is severe.