Q. Why is Maggie’s Farm No Spill Ant Kill bait a solid gel, whereas other ant baits are liquid?
A. The patent-pending No Spill Ant Kill bait station is the only moist bait station on the market that uses a rigid gel formula with no potential for spill, so you get all the advantages of liquid bait with none of the mess. Ants can feed over the whole surface without drowning in the bait and more ants can feed at one time and take the bait back to the colony.
See a video about No Spill Ant Kill here.
Q. How does the No Spill Ant Kill product work?
A. No Spill Ant Kill contains ingredients that attract foraging ants to the bait station, where they take the bait product back to their nest to deliver it to the rest of the colony and eliminate it. You want to see ants enter and exit the bait station with the bait for it to be most effective, so it is important not to spray any ants, or areas, around the bait stations. The objective of ant bait is not just to kill the ants that take the bait, but to get them to take the bait back to the nest to get rid of the source of the ant problem – the nest.
Q. Am I supposed to remove the top cover of the No Spill Ant Kill bait station before using?
A. No, the foil cover on top of the No Spill Ant Kill bait station is not to be removed. It helps to keep the gel bait fresh and soft...and more attractive to ants. You should only remove the green sticker on the bottom of the station that covers the hole that the ants will use to enter and exit the bait station.
Q. Why am I seeing more ants around the No Spill Ant Kill station(s) after I set them out?
A. Seeing ants near the No Spill Ant Kill station is a good thing. This means that the product is working. It is designed to lure ants to the product with its sweet ant bait. It also has moisture which all ants need. The ants eat the bait and take it back to their nests where they share it with the rest of the colony. This will help eliminate the entire colony.
Q. Which are the best spots to place the No Spill Ant Kill bait stations?
A. Place the bait stations in areas inaccessible to children and pets, close to where you see ant activity. Ants often trail along structural edges and will seek out moisture and food. Bait around sinks, tubs, window sills, under food cabinets, around floor edges and in corners. Invading ants nest outdoors, so it will help to place bait stations outside close to ant trails and where they are found entering the structure.
It is important that you DO NOT USE any insecticide sprays around the bait placements as you don't want to do anything that prevents the ants from taking the bait. The goal is to eliminate the source of the ant problem, the nest. So you want the ants to take the bait back to the nest to eliminate the colony.
Q. Can I use No Spill Ant Kill for preventive purposes?
A. You can use the NO Spill bait stations to try to prevent an ant problem. The effectiveness really depends on the proper placement of the stations. When you have an active infestation, you should place the station next to the trailing ants. If you do not have an ant problem and want to use the station to prevent one, place the station in areas where ants are most likely to enter your home (preferably where you have seen ants enter your home previously). Around doorways, windows, plumbing pipes...these are the most common areas where ants enter a home. Monitor the stations regularly and replace if the gel in the station is gone or dries out (it should remain moist for 60-90 days).
Q. When do I need to replace a No Spill Ant Kill station?
A. The two main reasons for replacing a No Spill bait station are:
-
When the station is empty (no more gel bait). If the ant population is large, this may happen within a few days.
-
When the gel bait dries out (usually takes 60-90 days).
It is important to monitor No Spill bait stations regularly to determine when they need to be replaced.
Q. What is the expiration date on the No Spill Ant Kill station?
A. The No Spill bait station has a shelf life of 2 years when stored sealed in a cool area.
Q. Why am I not seeing any ants go near or into the No Spill Ant Kill station?
A. There are a couple of possible reasons why ants are ignoring a No Spill Ant Kill bait station. First, the ants you are trying to control may already have found a good food source and are not interested in the No Spill bait. Follow the ants/ant trail to the food source they are feeding on and remove it. Once their alternative food source has been removed, the No Spill bait should become their primary food source.
Second, at certain times of the year, some ant species change their feeding habits depending on the needs of the colony. Typically in the spring, many ant species search for protein when they are in brood production mode. In late spring/early summer, many ant species change their feeding habits to sweets when they are foraging for food and building their nest. No Spill is a sweet ant bait so it will be most effective from late spring/early summer through the fall. No Spill also contains moisture which all ants need.
In early spring, when protein is the preferred food source, we recommend using Maggie's Farm Roach Killer gel bait. It is a protein-based bait and is formulated for ants, as well as roaches.
Q. My dog ate/chewed on a No Spill Ant Kill bait station. What do I do?
A. Our No Spill Ant Kill is formulated using food ingredients (to attract the ants) and the borax active is at such a low level that the product has very low toxicity. Your dog should be fine. We do recommend monitoring your dog’s behavior and if you notice anything unusual, contact your vet and have the product label with you.
Q: Do I put the stations with the hole facing up? I can’t find the box.
A: The stations are placed with the holes facing down.
Q: Is Maggie’s Farm No Spill Ant Kill ant traps? Do the ants get trapped inside?
A: Maggie’s Farm No Spill Ant Kill stations are not traps and the ants do not get trapped inside. Our No Spill stations are an excellent form of long-term pest control, in that ants are able to enter the stations, consume the bait, and leave to take it back to their colony to share. Depending on how large their ant colony is, the colony, including the queen, will be eliminated. This can take from a couple of days to a couple weeks.
Q. I put out a station a week ago, and I still see ants around it. They are just coming and going…but not going away. How long before the bait works? Should I be doing anything different?
A. If the ants are still coming, it’s still working. The size of the ant colony will affect how long you will see ants. Typically, it takes a week or two before you will see a significant decline. Larger colonies will take longer to eliminate.
Here are a couple of suggestions regarding what you can do in the meantime:
Check any bait stations you’ve placed to confirm that there is still bait in the station. If not, replace with new stations. If all the bait is gone, that’s a good sign, because ants in the colony have likely ingested it all, and it is killing them off. It’s also a good sign because you’ve found a spot for placement where the ants can find it. Place your replacement bait station(s) in the same spot(s).
If you have not seen a decline in the number of ants in and around the station after one week, put down another station or two close by as you are more than likely dealing with a large colony. Using multiple stations will allow more ants to get to the bait and take it back to the colony.
Something else you can check your bait stations for is to see if the bait has dried out. The bait probably won’t attract many ants if it’s dried out. If it has dried, simply apply a few drops of water to re-hydrate, and the ants will return to feed.
While baits work better at getting rid of ant problems (versus just spraying the ones you see), they take time for the ants to get the bait back to their colony to share with other ants. As hard as it can be, it is important to be patient. You should start seeing fewer ants as bait begins working, and then no ants once it has eliminated the colony.