Ant Bait

Most pest ants have adapted to ‘honeydew’ as a primary food source. In the case of Argentine ants, the esophagus of the worker ant is constricted and the ant cannot ingest solid food. These workers can ingest three times more honeydew than they need and will share the extra two thirds with other members of the colony. This sharing is called trophallaxis and allows for the entire colony to share in a food source. This sharing allows us to introduce a very mild, slow-acting toxicant into our ‘synthetic honeydew’ bait, Green Way Liquid Ant Killing Bait® (GWLAKB). We use Boron as the Active Ingredient (AI). Boron is a naturally occurring element and can be found in the soil at concentrations higher than the concentration used in GWLAKB. When the bait is consumed by the workers, the Boron is transferred throughout the colony. Boron effects the insect gut lining and prevents the absorption of food. It does not effect the nervous system, as most other insecticides do. When Boron’s full effects are felt, the queen(s) and the colony die. Killing the queen is essential to getting sustained ant control. In most ant colonies, as few as 10% of the colony may be foraging for food—and ants can forage for food for up to 300 yards from the nest! Most sprays and granules only effect foraging workers. The workers that are killed can be replaced in a matter of weeks. However, when the queen and the colony are killed, it can take many months, and even years, for a new ant colony to move in and reinfest the area.