Are ants taking over your space?
In this blog, we’re sharing the best ant control treatments on the market – from baits to sprays — that are proven to be effective.
With over 20+ years of experience as licensed pest control experts, we’ve helped homes tackle ant infestations with these exact products.
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Our Top Picks
- Best Overall: Syngenta Advion Ant Gel
- Best Spray: Temprid FX Spray
- Best Liquid Bait: MaxForce Ant Control Liquid Bait
- Best Granule Bait: MaxForce Granular Insect Bait
- Best Natural Ant Bait: Antack Liquid Ant Bait
- Best Gel Bait: Optigard Ant Gel Bait
- Best Bait Station (Indoors): Rockwell Intice Gelanimo
- Best Bait Station (Outdoors): Kness Ants No More
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Buyers Guide
1. Locate nests whenever possible
To get rid of ants, you need to eradicate the entire colony.
If you only focus on killing exposed foraging and worker ants, you’re unlikely to see long-term results since these ants usually make up less than 10-15% of the ants present in a colony.
Additionally, these ants are easy to replace, and the queen will quickly add more to the colony to replace any killed while out foraging.
With that in mind, start your ant control efforts by locating and treating nests directly.
To do this, implement a survey bait program with honey, jelly, peanut butter, or bits of fresh meat. Place the bait on a plate where it’s easily accessible to ants, and note where the ants come from and where they go once they’ve fed on the bait.
This is a good way to identify nest sites and target your treatment efforts.
2. Focus on baits
Baits are the best tool to control ants in residential settings – especially in areas where kids and pets are present, and sprays and dust aren’t ideal.
For best results, vary the baits you choose, alternating between different baits, including food baits based on sweets and proteins.
We like options like Maxforce Quantum, Maxforce Fleet, and Advion Ant Gel, which are cost-effective, fast-killing baits that work for ants that don’t go for other baits like Antack or Optigard.
You can also use pre-filled bait stations, like Maxforce FC Ant Bait Stations.
These self-contained bait stations are convenient and easy to set since they’re equipped with paste bait that ants love.
To encourage bait consumption, remove competing food sources in your home, such as kitchen scraps, trash, and more.
If ants aren’t consuming bait, replace it with another formulation. This helps overcome bait aversion and ensures you’re targeting all the ants in your home effectively.
3. Use residual sprays
For an extra layer of ant protection, use residual sprays into cracks and crevices where ants may be entering the home.
You can also use these sprays in ant entrance, feeding, and harborage areas to prevent re-infestation. Just be sure to keep all residual sprays away from bait stations.
Using residual sprays near bait stations can contaminate the bait with pesticide, making it unappealing to ants.
4. Consider investing in professional treatment
Sometimes, it’s difficult to get rid of ants on your own. If you need additional assistance, contact a professional pest management company.
A pest management team will use professional-grade products to kill ants, eradicate colonies, and eliminate nests while also providing follow-up treatments needed to prevent re-infestation.
To find a team in your area, contact us at (844) 532-0076, and we’ll connect you to a reputable, local pest management professional.
Bottom Line
Getting rid of ants can be difficult, and it requires a combination of treatments, including contact and residual sprays and baits.
For best results, we recommend using a combination of all the products mentioned on this list. In addition to controlling ants as quickly and effectively as possible, these products will also provide a comprehensive ant control program that protects against future re-infestations.
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How We Tested the Best Ant Killers
To make our final selections, we collected the top products our pest management professionals are currently using in the field, including aerosol sprays, liquid, granular, and gel baits, and bait stations.
Once we developed an initial list of products, we tested each of the options to assess performance, price, and ease of use. Of course, we also wanted to note how quickly they killed ants.
The result of our testing is this vetted list of professional-quality ant treatments you can use for DIY pest control.
Why Trust Pest Dude?
When you consider a product recommendation, trust is essential. You want balanced information based on real-world experience. Here at the Pest Dude, we’re committed to giving you both. Our team research and test every product. We compare results with other licensed pest control professionals, and we double-check our findings.
Zachary Smith, our company founder, has over 20 years of field experience. He runs his own company, Smith’s Pest Management, serving home and business owners throughout the Bay Area. Zachary has the final say over featured products. The goal is to give you the knowledge you need to solve pest problems like a pro. It’s our pleasure to put our expertise at your service.
Ant Control FAQs
Baits are generally considered the most effective method of ant control. This is because baits can eliminate an entire colony of ants, even when you can’t find the nest site.
Because worker and forager ants carry baits back to the colony, you can rest assured that they’ll also be consumed by non-visible ants, like the queen and other colony members.
Ants usually enter homes in search of easy food sources, which is why they’re so common in pantries and kitchens.
Ants will eat everything from pet food to meat, so it’s important to practice good household sanitation to remove as many of their food sources as possible.
Sure, you can squish individual ants, but this won’t get rid of the colony.
There are usually tens of thousands of ants in a single colony, so killing ants on contact won’t eliminate the overall infestation. Instead, focus on more effective control methods like baits and residual treatment sprays.
