If you want to get rid of ants, wiping up the trail in the kitchen is not enough. The ants you see are foragers, a small part of a colony that lives in a nest somewhere else, often outside under paving, in the garden or in a wall cavity. As long as the nest survives, new ants keep arriving. Summer rains in November and December bring them indoors in search of food and dry shelter.
Step 1: Follow the trail
Watch where the ants come from and where they go. Follow the trail back to the crack, gap or door frame where they enter, and outside to the nest if you can find it. Those are the places to treat. Also look for what attracted them: sugar, crumbs, pet food or a dripping tap.
Step 2: Bait inside to get rid of ants at the source
Ant bait works because the ants do the work for you. Foragers eat the bait and carry it back to the nest, where it reaches the rest of the colony, including the queen.
The Coopers Ultrakill Ant Force 50g Indoors kit comes with bait stations that hold the granules securely. Place them along the ant trails in kitchens, cupboards and living areas. The bait works with delayed action, so the ants have time to carry it back to the nest.
Do not spray the trail you are baiting. Insecticide kills the foragers before they can carry the bait home, and the colony survives.
Step 3: Treat the nest outside
Coopers Ultrakill Ant Force 100g is a granular bait for outdoor use. Apply it to nests, along paving, at the base of walls and around entry points where ants come from, as directed on the label. Treating outside stops the next wave before it reaches the house.
Step 4: Treat entry points and active areas
Coopers Multicare Ant 100ml is a concentrate that you dilute with water. It gives fast knockdown, flushes ants out of cracks and leaves a residual effect that keeps working after application. Use it on door frames, window sills, cracks and other entry points, away from where you have placed bait. For other crawling insects around the home, Multicare Home works the same way.
How long does it take?
You will usually see more ants at the bait for the first day or two, which is a good sign: they are feeding. Activity should then drop over the following days as the bait reaches the colony. Keep the stations topped up until no ants come to feed.
Keep ants out
- Store sugar, honey and pet food in sealed containers.
- Wipe counters and sweep up crumbs every evening.
- Fix dripping taps and leaks.
- Seal cracks around skirting boards, pipes and window frames.
- Trim plants that touch the walls, because ants use them as bridges.
Use pest control products safely
Always read the label before use and follow its directions and safety precautions exactly. Keep products out of reach of children and pets, store them in their original containers away from food, and wash your hands after use.
Shop our full range for ants and crawling insects, or read our guide on how to get rid of cockroaches.
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