Do not move bait stations or disturb treated areas during active ant treatment periods.

Active ant treatment works best when you create a stable environment where ants can find bait and carry it back to the colony. Place bait stations along ant trails and near entry points, but not directly on food preparation surfaces, and allow ants to feed undisturbed for at least seventy two hours or until activity visibly declines. If you must clean, wipe with plain water and avoid detergents or disinfectants because strong scents can repel ants and stop them from entering baits. Use baits containing a slow-acting insecticide so worker ants have time to return to the nest and transfer the toxicant to the queen and brood, and rotate bait formulations only after a full treatment cycle if activity persists. Do not spray insecticides over baits since contact products kill workers before they carry poison home and reduce colony elimination. Keep pets and children away from stations by placing baits in inaccessible cracks, behind appliances, or inside small plastic containers with entry holes sized for ants but not larger animals. Monitor daily and record where you placed each station so you can reassess without disturbing locations; replace spent or contaminated baits with the same product rather than mixing brands.

Common mistakes include moving or removing bait stations too early, which interrupts worker foraging and prevents transfer back to the nest, so leave stations undisturbed until activity stops for several days. Another mistake is cleaning treated areas with strong cleaners or sprays, which masks or destroys bait attractiveness and reduces uptake, so limit cleaning to plain water and wait until treatment is complete. Many people also mix baits and sprays or use contact sprays near bait placements, which causes quick worker mortality and stops colony-level control, so use one approach at a time and separate contact treatments from bait stations by distance and timing.

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