Do not spray ants. Aerosol insecticides kill foraging workers but do nothing to the queen — who produces up to 800 eggs per day. Killing workers causes the colony to ramp up worker production and may cause colony "budding" in species like Pharaoh ants, creating multiple new colonies from one. Slow-acting bait is the only approach that reaches the queen and eliminates the colony.
The Best Ant Baits by Ant Type
TERRO Liquid Bait is the most effective consumer ant bait for the species that most commonly invade U.S. homes — odorous house ants, pavement ants, and Argentine ants. The active ingredient is borax (sodium tetraborate) at 5.4% in a sweet liquid matrix. Borax is slow-acting by design — foragers consume it, survive long enough to return to the nest and share it through trophallaxis (food-sharing), carrying the borax to larvae, the queen, and other workers who never leave the nest.
What to expect: Ant activity at the bait station dramatically increases for 24–72 hours as workers recruit more colony members to the food source — this is not failure, it is success. The population then drops rapidly from day 4 onward. Full colony elimination takes 1–2 weeks. Resist the urge to spray the trail — you will disrupt the baiting process.
Advion Ant Gel is the product pest control professionals reach for when TERRO is insufficient or when dealing with species that don't respond to simple borax. The active ingredient, indoxacarb, is a "pro-insecticide" — it is converted inside the insect's body into its toxic form, making it extremely slow-acting and ideal for secondary kill through trophallaxis. A single application of Advion gel can eliminate an entire ant colony in 3–5 days.
Application: Apply in pea-sized dots (not smeared lines) at 6-inch intervals at the entry point and along the active trail. Ants need to be able to pick up the gel and carry it — dots allow this; smears don't. Highly effective for odorous house ants, pavement ants, fire ants (in conjunction with Two-Step Method), carpenter ants, and most tramp ant species.
For Pharaoh ants: Advion is effective but should be rotated with protein-based bait (Advance 375A) since Pharaoh ant nutritional preference shifts between sugar and protein seasonally.
Many ant species — including carpenter ants, Pharaoh ants during protein-seeking phases, and fire ants — require protein-based bait, not sugar-based bait. An ant ignoring sugar bait is almost certainly in a protein-seeking phase. Advance 375A uses abamectin (0.011%) in a protein matrix that mimics insect prey. It is highly effective for carpenter ants, fire ants (broadcast in lawn), and Pharaoh ants in protein-seeking cycles.
Amdro is the most widely available fire ant broadcast bait in the U.S. It uses hydramethylnon (0.73%) in a corn grit matrix that mimics fire ant food — workers carry granules to the queen. The Two-Step Fire Ant Method (recommended by Texas A&M and the University of Florida) calls for broadcast treatment of the entire yard with Amdro, followed by individual mound treatment of problem mounds 1–2 weeks later. This combination is 80–90% effective in reducing mound counts.
Critical timing: Apply when fire ants are actively foraging — soil temperature 65–95°F, morning or evening when not too hot. Do not apply before rain (washes away the bait) or immediately after mowing (disturbed ants won't forage).
Maxforce Quantum uses imidacloprid (0.03%) in a specially formulated clear gel that stays effective for up to 3 months when applied in cracks and crevices — significantly longer than most sugar gels that dry out within days. This longevity makes it particularly effective for Pharaoh ant control in wall voids and behind fixtures where access for re-baiting is limited.
Odorous house ant, pavement ant: TERRO Liquid Bait (start here). Argentine ant: TERRO or Advion Gel — slow bait is essential, never spray. Pharaoh ant: Maxforce Quantum + Advance 375A in rotation — never spray. Carpenter ant: Advance 375A protein bait near nest entry + Termidor foam void injection. Fire ant: Amdro broadcast + bifenthrin or spinosad mound drench (Two-Step Method).