A few ants in the house may not be a problem for you. Panic sets in when they come in hordes biting and stinging. If you are the allergic type, then a sting from the fire ant may prove disastrous. That aside, no one wants ants in their house any day. They are always up to no good.
There is a wide variety of ant killers on the market with varying characteristics. However, not all of them are applicable indoors.
The following are suggestions of the best indoor ant killers.
| Rating | Image | Product | Score | Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Choice |   | Optigard Ant Bait Gel | A | |
  | TERRO T300B 2-Pack Liquid Ant Baits | A- | ||
  | 6PK Ant Bait Killer | B+ | ||
  | Termidor Foam | B+ | ||
  | Combat Ant Killing Gel 27grams | A- |
These little critters can be annoying inside too!
What you need to know before Choosing an Indoor Ant Killer
Commercial ant killers are toxic and maximum precaution must be taken to control infestation especially where small children and pets are involved. There are several low impact strategies you can utilize to ensure you kill the ants, disrupt their life cycles and destroy their colonies.
Home Hygiene
The first approach to control an ant infestation is keeping your home clean at all times. All the food preparation areas should be kept clean at all times and any sweets and proteins kept in tight containers. Any remaining food should be held in the refrigerator or discarded appropriately. Ensure that you clean any food spills and wash dishes at the earliest time possible.
Keeping your house clean ensures that any scout ants do not find anything to lead other foragers into your home.
Non-toxic Prevention and Removal
Find and seal all gaps and cracks in the wall, door frames, and sinks through which the ants may find their way in. Use commercial products to seal any cracks in the walls and floors.
To remove any ant infestation in your home, you can employ window cleaner or soapy water. They are sometimes as effective as the ant killers when they come into contact with ants. In addition to the detergents, use cinnamon or cayenne pepper to get rid of any unseen chemical scent trails they leave so that other foragers can follow.
You can prevent a full-blown infestation by also removing the scout and their scents early on, and you will not have to deal with toxic ant killers.
Things to Consider before Choosing an Indoor Ant Killer
1. The type of invasion
Ants roaming inside your house can be a source of embarrassment especially when guests come calling. Foraging ants can damage your property and contaminate food. The first step towards ant eradication is identifying the type of invasion you are dealing with.
If you see the ants entering through a crack in the window or door, then their nest is probably outside. If that is the case, any remedy you choose should consider this fact. You can buy an ant killer that you can apply on the nest or use it in the house. The choice is yours.
However, if you notice that they are coming through a crack in the cupboard or wardrobe, the colony could be inside your house. The best solution for this would be baiting since the nest could be underground. The point is that you will be better equipped once you know their point of entry.
2. Safety
If there are children and pets in the house, then be careful with the choice of ant control method you choose. The first option should always be caulking the crevices and cracks in walls, as well as, cleaning the scouts using the detergents.
As much as possible, avoid aerosols as they broadly contaminate all surfaces close to the infestation. They are also asthma inhalation hazard. Traps and baits are a better alternative if you must use commercial ant killers.
3.The Potential Consequences
Before you rush for a particular ant killer, it is essential to be conscious of the potential consequences. For example, if you have chosen to go the bait station way, children can pick them up and put them in the mouth.
Any insecticide that includes boric as the active ingredient is harmful to plants and should be handled with care. Should you happen to use it inside potted plants, then that would be the end of the plant as you know it.
Foggers and aerosol sprays are a guaranteed way to exposure to the insecticide through contaminated surfaces and inhalation.
4. Precautionary Measures
When using the insecticides, you should employ all the precautionary measures available to ensure minimal risk. Place the bait stations only in locations inaccessible to children and pets such as enclosed spaces, and heavy equipment. Take care where you place the baits so that they may not contaminate foods.
Once the ants are gone, take the bait stations away to avoid attracting new colonies to your house. And don’t forget always to read the label when using these insecticides.
A Review of the Best Indoor Ant Killers
Optigard Ant Bait Gel
The best ant killer is probably the one that promotes dissemination of the active ingredients among the ants leading to efficiency in their eradication. Optigard probably ticks the box in that regard and kills the queen and everyone in her colony. It comes in syringe form, and so you can push the insecticide inside crack and gaps away from the reach of pets and children.
The bait gel is effective on those small sugar and ghost ants that love your kitchen so much.
- Carries a faint sweet odor
- Easy to use syringe
- Effective on a wide range if ants
- Not effective on particular varieties of ants such as pharaoh and harvester ants
TERRO T300B 2-Pack Liquid Ant Baits
This ant killer is for those on the lookout for a practical solution. The main ingredient is borax which exterminates household bugs without much ado. All you need to do is locate their track and put a piece of the bait there, and your task is finished.
With this product, the terrorizing ants may not know what hit them as they gradually disappear from the face of the earth. However, this is for the people that are willing to wait as it is slow action insecticide. The ant baits come in a pack of six. Keep them out of reach of children and pets.
- Easy to use
- Effective
- Prefilled packs
- The baits are designed not to dry out
- You need to take precautions where kids and pets are involved
- A slow action ant killer
6PK Ant Bait Killer
This is another ant killer that you can choose from that can prove effective indoors. The insecticide comes in four food attractants making sure the pesky bugs find it. The ants feed on it and take some home to share the supposedly great meal they found. Some of them decide to return and hold a feast right where the bait is, and you see many of them congregated there.
It then kills the queen and destroys the colony.
What separates this ant killer is the metal bait container that is child and pet proof. While this does not mean you should leave it lying around, it is a source of a peace of mind for parents and pet owners.
- Easy to use
- Child and pet proof
- May be effective
- For both indoor and outdoor use
- Four attractants
- Kills a range of ant species
- Quick acting bait
- Hard to find in stores
- Price is on the higher side
Termidor Foam
Sometimes the ants may decide to come crash in on your home with their extended families and in-laws catching you off guard. When a whole colony suddenly decides to come to your home when you are sleeping, then you need an efficient and quick ant killer.
The Termidor Foam may be among the best indoor ant solutions you will find on the market. It kills not only the ants but also bugs that have already decided to co-share the apartment without paying any rent. The bug killer comes in a ready to use formulation, and your only task is application. This is especially good in the cracks of the wall and floor.
- Easy to use design
- Works on a range of ant varieties and bugs
- Effective on contact
- May be a good solution for bugs inside and outside structures
- Has an applicator tip that can fit in walls, cracks, and other gaps
- Not good for application when the houses are in use
- Strict instructions before application
Combat Ant Killing Gel 27grams
We can never be too careful where children and pets are involved. Therefore, the best ant killers are child and pet proof. The ant killing gel is child and pet proof.
This 27 grams gel probably achieves efficiency through its high water content that promotes feeding. It is in syringe form and easy to use. You can use the syringe to apply the ant killing liquid into cracks and gaps where the intruders are entering your home through. The insecticide probably kills an entire colony between three and five days, and you can finally enjoy the privacy and comfort of your home thereafter.
- Easy to syringe
- Effective on the long-term
- Can be fed through gaps and cracks in walls and floor surfaces
- Probably deals with a large variety of ants
- Takes time to kill the ants
Conclusion
When searching for an indoor ant killer, you have to consider your family. While it is imperative you kill the invading ants, don’t do it at the expense of your family’s health. From the above review of the best indoor ant killer, Optigard Ant Gel Bait is the real deal.
The ant kille has a mildly sweet smell which certainly won’t be off-putting to you or your family (unlike other brands). It is also a long-term solution as it kills the queen and the whole colony – the primary goal. The ant bait killer also works on a variety of ants (though not all), and so you will not need to change remedies.