Mario Bautista
We don’t want ants in our homes, either. But if you try to kill household ants the wrong way, you can actually split the colony—and make the problem worse. That won’t happen with Terro T300 Liquid Ant Baits, a favorite among homeowners because they’re simple to use, widely available, and filled with an effective, slow-acting poison that targets and eliminates the entire colony.
Top pick
Terro Liquid Ant Baits are effective, easy to use, widely available, relatively safe, and nearly unanimously recommended by homeowners. If they don’t work, call a pro.
The active ingredient in Terro T300 Liquid Ant Baits is borax, a relatively safe compound that can even work as a laundry detergent. Borax has a long track record of success against indoor ants, and when mixed with a sweet, syrupy liquid, it creates an attractive meal for an ant. Unlike many competitors, Terro uses a clear bait station that is easy to monitor. Terro has a great reputation, with tons of positive reviews and excellent feedback on a variety of retailer sites. In our own small-scale testing, Terro was unquestionably the most effective ant bait we tried.
Runner-up
Terro’s T334 baits use the same successful toxin as the T300 version does, and they can mount on a vertical surface. Unfortunately, they cost more and are harder to monitor.
If the Terro T300 baits are not available, or if you’re looking for a more aesthetically pleasing ant-killing station, we recommend Terro T334 Multi-Surface Liquid Ant Baits. These small cartridges, the size and shape of a perfect skipping stone, are designed to blend in with their surroundings, with one side white and the other brown. They come with little adhesive strips for mounting to a vertical surface or even under an upper cabinet. This feature gives more options for placement and can help keep the bait station away from little curious hands or paws. The T334 baits contain the same sweet syrup as our main pick does, so their overall effectiveness should be identical. The downsides: The opaque bait station is nearly impossible to monitor, and the T334 baits are typically more than twice the cost of the T300 baits on a per-unit basis. These baits are nice to use, and we appreciate how they blend in, but in most cases our preference is to get as many bait stations as we can for the lowest cost, which makes it easier to stockpile baits so you have them when you need them.
Best for
Advion Fire Ant Bait can kill a fire ant colony within a couple of days, and you can spread it over a yard for seasonal management.
If you have fire ants (we’re so sorry), we recommend Syngenta’s Advion Fire Ant Bait. This granular bait contains indoxacarb, which several experts told us is the fastest-acting and most effective ingredient for fire ant management. You can treat individual mounds with just a few tablespoons of Advion or spread it over your entire yard—the container has enough for an acre.
