4 Best Ant Killers of 2024

Dealing with an ant infestation can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. A several-pronged approach is often required to really battle effectively against those insistant armies.

I used the Home Defence Ant Stop! Bait Station in my kitchen, positioning two bait stations at two different entry/exit points that I’d seen ants use.

These stations attract ants, enticing them with bait, and then transfer an ant-killer product onto them. The worker ants take this to the nest and it slowly kills the entire colony.

These Home Defence traps are pretty handy because they provide an ant-eradicating solution that you can a) tuck away out of sight, and b) put down and forget about. They save the mess and bother of accidentally treading powder around the home, and will continue working for up to three months.

If you’re generally reluctant to put down powders or liquid baits, these self-contained units are probably the best ant killers to use. The entry hole in the bait station is only small enough for insects to crawl inside, making these units pretty safe to use around the home. However, if you do have kids and pets you will need to make sure they don’t pick up or chew them.

Nippon Ant Killer Powder is one of the most well-known products for killing ants both inside the home and out.

As well as being highly effective against ants, Nippon ant powder can be used for many types of pest control. It’s also capable of getting rid of other crawling insects such as earwigs, woodlice and silverfish. If you’re dealing with some form of insect infestation, likelihood is Nippon can be of service.

Unlike some other ant killers, Nippon states that children and pets don’t have to be kept away from the treated area, which is good news if you were concerned about either. However, as with all chemicals, it’s still best to keep curious hands and paws at a safe distance – just in case.

This powdered insecticide is very easy to use, coming in a bottle with small holes in the top – simply shake it out like talcum powder. It can be dusted along doorframes and windowsills, and any other crevices through which ants are gaining access to your home.

The bottle design can make it challenging to accurately get the powder into smaller spaces, but only a small amount needs to be applied successfully to help it be effective.

It gets to work quickly, and the effects can sometimes be noticed after just a few hours. It can take a couple of days to get rid of the ants completely, but the results are long lasting; you’re unlikely to have any problems with ants for several months after use.

Overall, this is an extremely effective product which will essentially eradicate ants, wherever you place it; however, it should be noted that one of Nippon’s active ingredients is permethrin. This is a harsh chemical that can be very harmful to aquatic life. Care needs to be taken when disposing of Nippon, and it should be avoided if water from your garden runs off into a stream or river.

This Buysmart Ant Gone comes ready to use in its own ant-attacking watering can. It contains 5 L of liquid product and is effective against ants and other crawling insects. According to Buysmart, it can even be used against ticks, fleas, mites and mosquitos.

The design makes it easy to apply, taking the hassle out of using at-home treatments to fix an ant problem. It’s a good liquid alternative to using bait stations and granular bait without having to use an aerosol ant killer spray.

Whereas some other products require decanting and diluting, Ant Gone only requires you to open the bottle and pour it straight over the ant nest. You can also use it on paths and patios when you can’t get to the nests.

Whilst Ant Gone can is technically suitable for indoor and outdoor use, you’d have to think carefully about how to apply it inside if you didn’t want to drench your house (given that it’s a liquid).

However, the fact that it’s liquid does make it easier to apply over larger surfaces than powder products. With a rose-head that helps distribute the product evenly and sparingly, it can be great for use over large patios and lawns.

Ant Gone relies on the product having physical contact with the ants and killing them that way; therefore, it can be harder to get it to infiltrate a nest. Pouring the liquid directly into the nest can be relatively effective, but may require a few applications.

Unlike some other products, particularly those in granule form, Buysmart Ant Gone isn’t carried back to the heart of the nest by the ants.

The Home Defence Ant Stop Granules are for outdoor use only, and can help with getting rid of ants on patios or lawns.

The product is in granular form, combined with a sugar-based carrier which attracts ants. The granules come in a cardboard canister with a plastic lid and can be applied straight from the packet.

The instructions advise piling the granules up near to the nest site where ants live, or mixing the granules with water and pouring the solution into the nest to kill the whole colony.

In my case, I wasn’t sure where the nest was; however, there were a few places where the ant activity was more prolific, so I just poured a little pile of the granules in each of these places.

The idea is that they take the granules back home to the nest and this kills the entire colony.

Again, the day after I applied this product there were actually more ants on the patio, likely attracted to the sugary sweet bait. However, after three days we had gone from hundreds of ants on the patio to just a few. By the end of the week, there were no ants at all. This was a few weeks ago and there have been no signs of any ants returning. It is also a large pack, and I didn’t use anywhere near all of it so there is plenty more, for several future applications, if the ants do come back.

In my opinion, the combination of using this product outdoors and the bait stations indoors worked a treat. It offered effective ant control and is what I’d recommend if you’re experiencing a similar infestation to what I had.