Top 9 Ant Killer for your Home and Garden
Ants are fascinating social creatures which mean they live in large colonies or group. There are approximately 12,000 species of ants around the world and they play a significant role in the ecosystem. However, not all species of ants are nice to be kept around your garden nor inside your home.
Most ants live outdoors, but sometimes they make their way inside your home looking for food and water sources. They mark their trails using scent chemicals that guide other ants from their colony to a good supply source, often invading your kitchen cabinet, pantry shelves, pet food bowls, or garbage pail. Some ants can be a real nuisance to your garden as well as they can destroy the natural growth of your plants.
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What is Ant Killers?
Ant killers are chemically formulated products to keep ants at bay and protect your Garden as well as your home from ant invasion. Some of ant killers are designed to act as a potent fertilizer for your lawn.
Although there’s have to be some benefits of having a healthy ant ecosystem in your backyard, some will find them troublesome and may actually cause more harm than good.
- Damage your plants – A healthy plant is all that any green thumb can ask for. However, no matter how good you are at keeping your plants happy and taken care of nature can be quite daunting and may require human intervention. Ants like to build their nests around the root of plants, which can stunt their growth and leave plants more vulnerable to diseases. They can eat away the leaves of your plants, leaving your plants defenceless and unable to make their own food.
- Cause injury -Some ants have stingers that are entirely different from a typical ant bite. Fire ants, for example, inject venom with their stinger. This sting is painful and may cause serious issues that are not only uncomfortable but even life-threatening in some cases. Although small, ant bites leave toxic chemicals on their bite sites. This poses a threat to children under the age of 5 since they haven’t built sufficient immunity yet and may cause a severe allergic reaction.
- Attract another pest – As the rule of nature, all living things have their own prey and predators. This goes the same with ants. Other harmful bugs and insects can be attracted to the growing ant population in your backyard and can ruin your garden. A few species of ant eat honeydew, which is excreted by aphids as they feast on plants. Ants protect aphids from other predators. Increased aphid activity in your garden is terrible for your plants as they suck out all tasty plant sap causing it to wilt.
- Damage your home – Carpenter ants are similar to termites, but they do not eat wood. Instead, they tunnel and chew through wood to create nests that can threaten the structural stability of your home.
Here is the list of the best ant killer we recommend for you:
10 Best Ant Killer For Your Garden and Home In The Market
The below Ant Killers depict the best in the market.
1. Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter2
If you want to protect your home against various kinds of insects then, Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer is for you. Its formula can kill commonly listed household bugs and prevent them from entering your home, with its effectiveness lasting from 3 months up to 12 months.
This formula is non-staining, odor-free, and dries fast, making it safe to use in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, basements, and bedrooms. You can also use it as an outside perimeter treatment along foundations for double protection. In addition, the reusable comfort wand design makes it easy to use—no more bending, pumping, or tired hands.
This product is highly recommended due to its double function as an insect killer and protection barrier creating a safe and insect-free home for you and your family. Say good bye ants and roaches for good!
2. Amdro 100099216 Ant Block Granule, 24 Ounces
The Amdro Ant Block Granule is specifically designed to kill 25 ant species, including those that can cause damage to your home. Unlike contact insecticides, this product works perfectly even if you cannot locate the nest, it can wipe out the entire colony by destroying the queen.
This product is so easy to use. You just have to shake the bait around the outside perimeter of your house, creating a barrier for maximum protection. Its effect can last for up to 3 months, which is an excellent choice for you since you don’t need to apply it too much. In fact, you just need to use it 4 times a year for maximum efficiency.
This ant killer product is intended for outside use making it safe for children inside your home.
3.Ortho Fire Ant Killer Broadcast Granules: Treats up to 5,000 sq. ft, Prevent New Mounds from Forming
Relaxing in your garden after a long day of work is impossible if fire ants are taking over the place. Fire ants can sting you and leave an uncomfortable itchy white blister. With the Ortho Fire Ant Killer, you can eliminate those ants and reclaim your place in the garden.
This product is intended to be used as a part of the Ortho 2-step system. The first step is to destroy existing mounds then, target and kill fly-in queens preventing them from creating new mounds. It is a great treatment and protection from fire ants that may come from neighbouring areas. Its fast-acting effect is seen just after 15 minutes of application, making it convenient to use.
It’s cost-effective with one bag weighing 11.5-lb. can treat up to 5,000 sq. ft. of residential lawn. It’s also convenient to use since it will control new mounds from forming for up to 6 months. You will only have to apply it 2 times a year.
4. Ortho BugClear Insect Killer for Lawns & Landscapes Ready to Spray - Kills Ants, Spiders, Fleas, Ticks & Other Insects
If you are looking for an insect killer that is safe for your garden, try this Ortho BugClear Insect Killer. You can apply it around the house foundations, lawns, ornamentals, flowers, trees, shrubs, vegetable, fruit trees and even stored lumber.
This product is designed to kill 235 bugs including ants, ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas. It contains active ingredients, bifenthrin and cypermethrin, which targets the insect’s central nervous system killing them instantly. Its formula is made non-staining and odor free.
This cost-effective treatment will provide up to 6 months protection for 5,300 sq. ft. lawn, 1,400 sq. ft. of foundation/perimeter, or across 2,700 sq. ft. of foliage. In addition, its lightweight and ready-to-spray design is made for easier use.
Now, you don’t need to worry about providing protection for your lawn and garden as well.
5. Scotts Turf Builder Southern Triple Action - Weed Killer, Lawn Fertilizer, Fire Ant Killer & Preventer
You don’t need to be a professional gardener to know what needs to be eliminated, fertilized, and prevented to keep your garden healthy. Now, the best care you can give to your plants is in one simple formula – the Scotts Turf Builder Southern Triple Action.
This product provides three benefits for your lawn. One, it kills dollar weed which can overtake your entire backyard in a short time. Two, it acts as a fertilizer to build thick green lawns. Third, it prevents and kills fire ants that can cause damage to your crops for up to 6 months. In addition, it is intended to be used on Southern grasses like St.Augustine (including Floratam), Carpetgrass, Centipede, and Zoysiagrass.
It is so easy to use. All you have to do is apply it to dry lawn, fill and set the spreader according to the label, water-in product after application and sweep the product from hard surfaces onto the lawn. Moreover, one bag of this product weighing 27 lbs. can cover a small to medium size lawn and with its 3-in-1 benefit, it makes a top choice treatment for your garden.
6. AMDRO Fire Ant Bait Granules, 2 Pound
Have you ever been stung by a fire ant? Well, it is very painful and may cause serious life-threatening issues in some cases. The AMDRO Fire Ant Bait can help you eliminate fire ants so you can make your garden a safe place for you and your family.
This product works as food bait which the worker ants carry back to their mound, feeding it to the queen and the rest of the colony. Its active ingredient hydramethylnon, a slow-acting poison with delayed toxicity, will kill the ants immediately along with their queen. If the mound is queenless, the colony cannot reproduce and will not survive.
It’s very convenient to use. You just have to sprinkle the product around the individual mounds or use a hand-held granular spreader for larger infested areas. In addition to being convenient, it is also cost-effective because you will only need two to four ounces for a medium-sized lawn (5,000 sq ft).
Owning this powerful product can make every season fire ant free so you can relax and enjoy your time in the garden.
7. Wondercide - EcoTreat Outdoor Pest Control Spray Concentrate with Natural Essential Oils
If you are an eco-conscious consumer looking for a natural and environment-friendly pest control, then the Wondercide – EcoTreat Outdoor Pest Control is perfect for you. This product is made with the purest, steam-distilled essential oils from nature that kills, repels, and prevents mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, and hundreds of more bugs. Moreover, it is perfectly safe for sight-driven beneficial bugs like butterflies and bees.
Due to its all-natural formula, it is safe to use around pets and people of all ages so you can treat your lawn without worrying. Additionally, it is very easy to use – just put the product into any applicator, fill it to the top with the recommended amount of water, and begin to spray your backyard. You can apply it on your lawn, garden, grass, playground, vegetables and even flowers.
You will surely get your money’s worth with this product – a 16 oz. the bottle can cover a large scale lawn. It is recommended to be applied twice for 7-10 days to establish control and reapply every 4-6 weeks for prevention and maintenance.
8. BioAdvanced Science-Based Solutions Grub, Ant & Mosquito Killer for Lawns
Are the pests in your lawn giving you a hard time to relax? You don’t have to call an exterminator, the BioAdvanced Pest Control will help eliminate the problem for you. This product acts as a 2 way formula. It kills surface insects in 24 hours and protects your lawn from soil insects for up to 6 months. It also kills mosquitoes flying outside your home.
The active ingredients, imidacloprid and cyfluthrin, work by damaging the nervous system and paralyzing the insect causing its death. In addition, it is designed for residential outdoor use only and ideally applied during spring, summer, and fall.
This product comes in three different sprayer types: a ready-to-spray bottle, pump-style tank sprayer, or dial-style hose-end sprayer all of which are easy to use. You can save a lot of money because the 40 oz. bottle can yield 80 gallons of spray solution that can cover a medium to large scale lawn.
Hiring an exterminator may be your last call with this efficient product available in the market.
9. Syngenta - Advion Fire Ant Bait - Insecticide - 2lb
Ants do play an important role in the environment and our garden but some can actually cause damage and harm humans such as fire ants. The Syngenta – Advion Fire Ant Bait can help control your fire ant infestation problem.
This product acts as a food bait that will be taken by worker ants to feed to the colony including the queen thus, ensuring total colony control within 24-72 hours. It’s also effective on all life stages unlike other fire ant bait available in the market.
Product application is easy. You can either apply it to individual mound as treatment or use broadcast equipment to apply over an entire area, Additionally, this can be used not only for residential areas but also for uncultivated non-agricultural areas, such as airports and institutional sites, such as hospitals making it a versatile and economical choice for ant bait.
Conclusion
Ants are key components to many ecosystems, where they perform many important functions. They aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests. But not all ants are helpful. Some are harmful and destroy plants, structures, lead to infestations or bring pain and even venomous bites to humans.
That is why eliminating them may be necessary to prevent these harmful effects and create a safe place for you and your family. The ant killers we listed above will help you eradicate your ant and other insect problems so you can enjoy life to its fullest.