10 Best Ant Traps 2024 in the US

On October 31, 2011, the number of humans on Earth reached 7 billion. But, the ant population on Earth is estimated to be 10 billion billion! Ants definitely benefit the environment, consuming larvae of other insect pests, spreading seeds of beneficial plants, and serving as food for other animals. But you don’t want to tolerate ants in your home or yard. If you’re suffering from an ant infestation, there are a number of ant traps that can eradicate ant nests, or at least kill the ant workers that forage around your kitchen.

We’ll see that there are several types of ant traps that lure ants in with either sweet, carbohydrate-based bait, or protein-based bait. At first, you’ll get the impression that there are more ants than ever, as worker ants first detect the bait trap. But, as the workers bring the bait back to their nest, the ant population will start to die off. Ant traps will differ in how fast you can expect results, as well as how long will it be until you have to apply another application.

We’ll go through some of the products in the Best Reviews Guide list of the best ant traps. Hopefully, you’ll be able to keep some of the 10 billion-billion little guys off of your property!

We can divide ant traps and their bait into several categories:

• Indoors sweet liquid ant bait stations: There are ant traps that use a sticky, sweet gel as the bait. The gel contains borax, which is toxic to ants. An example is the Terro T300B Liquid Ant Killer. You tear off the tab on the bait station and place it in an area where there is lots of ant activity. This particular product is intended for ants that like sweet things, such as acrobat, crazy, ghost, little black, odorous house, or pavement ants. But it won’t work on carpenter ants, who are wood borers.

Terro T300B Liquid Ant Killer

• Outdoors sweet liquid ant bait stations: There are also bait stations that are intended to be placed outdoors. The Terro 1806 Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait uses the same principle as the Terro 300B, which is for indoor use. But, the Terro 1806 bait stations come with stakes that you can insert in the grass or on gravel.

Terro 1806 Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait 

• Granular protein-based bait: There is also granular ant bait, such as the Advance 375a Select Granular Ant Bait. It’s intended more for outdoor use. Instead of attracting ants due to sweetness, it is a protein-based bait. Using a protein-based bait increases the possibility that the bait will be eaten by ant larvae as well as the queen ant. The active ingredient is abamectin, which is a nerve poison that is highly toxic to insects and fish. At first, you’ll see ants swarming to eat the bait. But, it’s a delayed action insecticide, which will kill ants 3-4 days after exposure. Although it’s recommended to keep it out of reach of children, the percentage of the abamectin in the product is not expected to be toxic to humans or other mammals.

Advance 375a Select Granular Ant Bait

• Powder ant bait: There is also contact ant poison, which is better for killing ants and other insects who aren’t necessarily attracted to sweet bait. An example is the Terror T600 Ant Dust. It is effective against fire and carpenter ants, who might not be attracted to sweet bait. The drawback with contact poison is that the affected ants probably won’t make it back to their nest. This product also works against cockroaches, spiders, and other pests.

Terror T600 Ant Dust

Here are some impressions of customers regarding the ant trap that they chose:

• Caulk up cracks: Since ants can find ways into your home in the most unexpected ways, it’s recommended that you seal any cracks from which ants may enter. A customer said that his ant traps were doing well until he noticed ant trails coming from his neighbor’s home. Without taking measures to prevent future infestation, it’ll be a never-ending battle!

• May have to wait for results: Some manufacturers promise results within 3-4 days. But customers who bought the Terro Ant Traps say that it took more than two weeks to notice a real decrease in the ant population. It is important to replace used-up traps and remove any traps that get filled up with bodies of dead ants.

Here are some tips about placement and use of ant traps:

• For fire ants: There are special treatments for outdoor ants that build mounds on your lawn, such as fire ants. One such product is the Andro Fire Ant Bait Granules. You spread 2-5 tablespoons around the mound. Apply in the early morning or late afternoon, when ants are most active. Don’t apply if the ground is wet, or if you’re expecting rain, in order that the ants will bring the bait into their nest.

Andro Fire Ant Bait Granules

• Keeping the bait away from pets and children: Most ant traps contain an active ingredient that is harmless to humans and other mammals. (But they can prove deadly for fish.) You probably still want to keep ant traps away from children, even if they’re entirely enclosed in a case that only allows ants to enter. And you should apply gel or powder bait only where there is no risk of it getting into food.

• Transparent bait traps: Ideally, worker ants will enter the bait trap, pick up the bait, and bring it to their nest. You may prefer transparent bait traps so that you can see if there is still any bait remaining. (Many customers notice that a lot of ants die inside the trap as well, so it’s worth supervising the progress of the traps.)

Final Verdict

We went through some of the items in the Best Reviews Guide list of the best ant traps. There are a number of designs for these traps, to lure ants inside, without letting the bait dry up, or to ensure that the trap is safe around pets or children. Look over the options. You’ll be sure to find something that can take care of even major infestations of ants!