How Do Combat Bait Stations Work Against Ants?
Trying to kill ants individually can seem like an impossible chore. When killing ants with a standard aerosol spray, ten more always seem to appear magically from nowhere. Combat bait stations for ants, however, are specifically designed to infect ants with a pesticide that they then take back with them to the colony. Ant bait stations are small plastic capsules that can be safely placed on your kitchen countertop, underneath your sink, or anywhere that you have observed ants in your home.
The bait contains a mixture of an undetectable pesticide (Hydramethylnon), along with a food matrix that attracts the ants. The ants enter into the Combat bait stations in hopes of securing a food source, gather the bait, and then return to the colony (usually outdoors) where they share the supposed food with other ants and with the queen of the colony.
Most aerosol sprays and other ant repellents tend to only get rid of ants in the home. Combat bait stations, however, have the ability to poison the source of the ants, which is the outdoor colony where the queen resides. Since ants also share the pesticide with the ant larvae in the colony, Combat bait stations can effectively kill off entire colonies.