Best Ant Killers for Indoors and Outdoors: Gels, Baits and Sprays

The best ant killers for indoors and outdoors are Atticus Savitri Ant Gel, an indoxacarb bait labeled for indoor cracks and outdoor entry points, and Combat Ant Killing Gel as the budget gel. Raid MAX liquid baits, TERRO Ant Dust, Ortho Home Defense MAX spray and TERRO's carpenter ant aerosol cover stations, gaps, barriers and wood-nesting ants.

Why One Product for Inside and Out Makes Sense

The ants in your kitchen almost always come from a nest outside, in the soil along the foundation or under a patio, and they follow the same trail in and out. A product labeled for both sides of the wall lets you treat that trail where it starts and where it ends, instead of buying two products that may use different baits.

UC IPM guidance on managing ants around the home recommends baiting mainly outdoors, near nests and trails, and notes that indoor baits can draw ants inside unless you are dealing with a serious invasion. In practice, that means a bait at the outdoor entry point and, if needed, a little inside where ants are already feeding.

Read the label before using any product on both sides. Some baits sold for indoor use are not labeled outdoors, and some perimeter sprays are restricted to specific indoor surfaces. For yard-only products such as perimeter granules, see our guide to the best outdoor ant killers.

Indoor-Outdoor Ant Killer Types

Baits go first in any plan, with dusts and sprays reserved for gaps and entry points. The outdoor and fire ant killers section links guides on mounds and large yards.

How We Selected These Products

Every pick here is labeled for use both indoors and outdoors. We compared the active ingredient, the ant species listed, where the label allows use and what buyers report about results, leaks and sprayers. Our sources were the makers' listings, Amazon's review digests and UC IPM guidance; we did not test the products.

We favored baits, because they reach the nest, and included one dust, one barrier spray and one carpenter ant aerosol for jobs baits cannot do. Products sold only for indoor use, such as TERRO's T300B stations, and yard-only granules were left out.

Gels lead the list because one tube covers both sides of the wall, starting with a professional-grade indoxacarb gel.

Atticus Savitri Ant Gel: Best Overall

Savitri is a ready-to-use gel bait with indoxacarb, the ingredient behind many professional ant gels. It is the most versatile pick here, labeled for indoor cracks and outdoor entry points alike.

• A pack has 4 prefilled tubes of 30 grams, with indoxacarb at 0.05%.
• The label lists red imported fire ants and common house ants such as pavement, carpenter and odorous house ants.
• You apply thin lines or spots near the trail or nest and reapply as ants eat it.
• The maker says it is non-repellent, so ants carry it home, and it is approved for food handling areas.
• Buyers say ants disappear within about two days, though some find it expensive.

Choose it when you want one product for a kitchen crack, a window frame and the outdoor gap ants use to get in. It is not sold in Alaska or Hawaii.

OUR CHOICE

Atticus Savitri Ant Gel Bait 4 x 30 g

Gel baitIndoxacarb4 tubes

Best for: One bait for indoor cracks and outdoor entry points

• ✓Lists fire, pavement, carpenter and odorous house ants
• ✓Non-repellent bait carried to the nest, per the maker
• ✓Ants gone within about two days, per buyers
• −Some buyers find it expensive
• −Not sold in Alaska or Hawaii

Editor's Note

It is the most versatile pick for trails that run from the yard into the house. Start with dabs outside where the trail meets the wall.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Active Ingredients

Indoxacarb

Item Form

Gel

Unit Count

4 Count

Combat Ant Killing Gel: Best Budget Gel

Combat's gel is the low-cost way to get a colony-killing bait into cracks inside and out. It uses fipronil, a different active ingredient from the other baits here.

• A single syringe holds 27 grams of fipronil gel.
• The maker lists Argentine, ghost, acrobat, big-headed, odorous house, thief, pavement, white-footed and little black ants, among others.
• It is said to start working within hours and control ants within 3 to 5 days.
• Buyers find the syringe easy to use and report ants gone within days.
• Ant attraction and value are mixed: some buyers say ants ignored it, and some found one syringe too little.

Choose it for a small problem at one or two entry points, or to switch active ingredients when another bait stops working. Buy a second syringe if the trail runs both inside and out.

BUDGET PICK

Combat Ant Killing Gel 27 g

Gel baitFipronil

Best for: A low-cost gel and a different active ingredient

• ✓Fipronil, a different active ingredient
• ✓Easy syringe applicator, per buyers
• ✓Control in 3 to 5 days, per the maker
• −Some buyers say ants ignored it
• −One syringe may be too little

Editor's Note

It handles a small problem at one or two entry points. It is also the switch when another bait stops working.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Active Ingredients

Fipronil

Item Form

Gel

Item Weight

27 g

Raid MAX Liquid Ant Baits: Best Bait Stations for Inside and Out

Raid MAX stations put a spinosad liquid bait into ready-to-use stations labeled for indoor and outdoor use. They suit people who prefer a contained station to gel on surfaces.

• A pack has 12 prefilled stations with spinosad bait.
• The listed ants include sweet-feeding, pavement, little black, Argentine, crazy, acrobat, ghost, thief and odorous house ants.
• The label excludes fire, carpenter, harvester and Pharaoh ants.
• Buyers find them easy to set up, odorless and mess-free.
• Results are mixed: many buyers say ants were not attracted or the bait did not work, and value feedback is poor.

Choose it for sweet-feeding ants trailing along a patio and into the kitchen, with stations on both ends of the trail. If ants ignore the stations after a few days, switch to a gel with a different active ingredient.

Raid MAX Liquid Ant Baits 12 Count

Liquid stationsSpinosad12 stations

Best for: Contained stations on both ends of a trail

• ✓Labeled for indoor and outdoor use
• ✓Easy to set up, per buyers
• ✓Odorless and mess-free, per buyers
• −Mixed results; ants often ignore it, per buyers
• −Excludes fire, carpenter, harvester and Pharaoh ants

Editor's Note

It suits people who prefer a contained station to gel. Switch to a gel if ants ignore it after a few days.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Active Ingredients

Spinosad

Item Form

Liquid Bait

Unit Count

12 Count

TERRO Ant Dust: Best for Gaps and Voids

TERRO's T600 is a contact dust for places bait cannot reach well: wall voids, cracks in steps and gaps in siding. It is labeled for indoor and outdoor use.

• A 1-pound shaker of deltamethrin dust at 0.05%, listed for fire ants and carpenter ants among other insects.
• The maker says it is waterproof, kills on contact and works for up to 8 months.
• The label allows cracks and crevices, foundations, crawl spaces, wall voids, flower beds and the tops of ant hills.
• Buyers praise it on carpenter ants and in rain, while others report it did not work or splashed everywhere.

Choose it for ants pouring out of a gap in the wall or siding, where a light puff reaches the hidden space. Use it in cracks and voids, not as a layer on open floors.

TERRO Ant Dust 1 lb

DustDeltamethrinWaterproof

Best for: Wall voids, siding gaps and cracked steps

• ✓Up to 8 months of residual control, per the maker
• ✓Holds up in rain, per buyers
• ✓Labeled for indoor and outdoor cracks
• −Dust can drift and splash
• −Mixed effectiveness reports

Editor's Note

Puff it lightly into the gap ants pour out of. It reaches hidden spaces that bait and spray miss.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Active Ingredients

Deltamethrin [(s)-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl-(1R,3R)-3-(2-2 dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl cyclopropanecarboxylate] (0.05%); Other Ingredients (99.95%) See more

Item Form

Powder

Item Weight

453 g

Ortho Home Defense MAX: Best Barrier Spray

Ortho Home Defense MAX is a residual insecticide spray for indoor surfaces and the home's outside perimeter. It answers the common question of what to spray outside the house, with the limits that come with any barrier spray.

• A pack of two 24-ounce trigger bottles.
• The maker says it controls ants, roaches and spiders indoors on nonporous surfaces for up to 12 months, and creates a bug barrier.
• It is odor-free and non-staining, per the maker; the listing does not name the active ingredient.
• Buyers find it effective and odorless, with mixed views on value.

Choose it for a narrow barrier at door thresholds and along the foundation where ants enter, alongside a bait. UC IPM notes that perimeter treatments knock ants down only briefly, so keep the spray off ant trails leading to bait and off driveways where it can wash into drains.

Ortho Home Defense MAX Spray 2-Pack

SprayOdor-free

Best for: A barrier at thresholds and foundations

• ✓Up to 12 months indoors on nonporous surfaces, per the maker
• ✓Odor-free, per buyers
• ✓Non-staining, per the maker
• −Does not reach the colony
• −Active ingredient not named in the listing

Editor's Note

Use it as a narrow barrier where ants enter, after baits have done their work. Keep it off driveways and bait trails.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Item Form

Spray

Liquid Volume

24 fluid ounces

TERRO Carpenter Ant and Termite Killer: Best for Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants, the large ants that nest in damp or damaged wood, need a product that reaches into wood and wall voids. TERRO's aerosol is made for that job, indoors and out.

• Two aerosol cans totaling 32 ounces, with deltamethrin at 0.03%.
• The two-way nozzle sprays broadly or into cracks, wall voids and infested wood.
• The maker says it kills on contact and keeps working for up to one month.
• Buyers of TERRO's line report it works well on carpenter ants and has no noticeable smell.
• Several buyers report cans that would not spray properly.

Choose it when large black ants are coming out of a window frame, door or wall. Find and fix the moisture problem that softened the wood, and get a professional inspection if you suspect termites, as the maker advises.

TERRO Carpenter Ant & Termite Killer Aerosol 2-Pack

AerosolTwo-way nozzleDeltamethrin

Best for: Carpenter ants in wood and wall voids

• ✓Two-way nozzle for voids and broad spraying
• ✓Works on carpenter ants, per buyers
• ✓No noticeable odor, per buyers
• −Some cans do not spray properly, per buyers
• −Not a stand-alone termite treatment

Editor's Note

It reaches carpenter ants in window frames, doors and walls. Fix the moisture that softened the wood as well.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Active Ingredients

Deltamethrin 0.03%, Other Ingredients 99.97%

Item Form

Spray

Liquid Volume

32 fluid ounces

Which one you need depends on the ant and where its trail runs.

How to Choose an Indoor-Outdoor Ant Killer

• Small ants trailing from the yard into the kitchen: Savitri gel at the outdoor entry point, or Raid MAX stations at both ends.
• A tight budget: Combat gel in the entry crack.
• Ants coming out of a wall or siding gap: TERRO Ant Dust puffed into the gap.
• Large ants from wood or window frames: TERRO's carpenter ant aerosol plus a moisture fix.
• A barrier after the colony is gone: Ortho Home Defense MAX along thresholds, kept away from baits.
• Fire ants in the yard: a fire ant bait from our mound guide rather than an indoor-outdoor product.

Whatever you choose, clean up the trail with soapy water and seal the entry point once ants stop using it.

Common Questions About Indoor and Outdoor Ant Killers

Which One Should You Buy?

Atticus Savitri Ant Gel is the one to buy if you want a single product for both sides of the wall. Its indoxacarb gel goes into a kitchen crack and an outdoor entry point alike, and ants carry it back to the nest.

Pick Combat gel to save money or switch ingredients, and Raid MAX stations if you prefer contained bait. Reach for TERRO Ant Dust for gaps and voids, Ortho Home Defense MAX for a threshold barrier once baits have done their work, and TERRO's aerosol for carpenter ants in wood.

Before buying, follow the trail outside to find where it meets the house, since that is where the first bait belongs.