Ant bait

Ant bait combines an attractant with a toxic or growth-disrupting active ingredient. Foragers carry it back to the nest, where it can affect other colony members.

Trophallaxis: The transfer of liquid food between social insects, commonly mouth to mouth or from anus to mouth. Ants can distribute bait to nestmates through this food-sharing behavior.
Insecticide: A substance used to kill insects or control their numbers. The active ingredient in many ant baits is an insecticide.
Argentine ant: A small, invasive ant species native to South America that forms large interconnected colonies in introduced regions. Its extensive colonies make colony-targeting bait strategies especially relevant.
Contact insecticide: An insecticide that harms pests through direct contact with treated surfaces or droplets. Unlike bait, it generally depends on direct exposure rather than food transport to the nest.
Delayed toxicity: A toxic effect that develops after a delay between exposure and harm. A slower-acting ingredient gives foragers time to return and share bait before dying.
Boric acid: A boron-containing compound used in some insect control products as a stomach poison. It is a familiar active ingredient in slow-acting ant bait formulations.
Pharaoh ant: A tiny, tropical ant species that commonly infests heated buildings and can form multiple budding colonies. Its tendency to split colonies makes effective baiting preferable to disruptive control methods.
Ant spray: A liquid pesticide applied directly to ants or surfaces they travel across. Sprays can kill visible workers quickly but may not reach hidden colony members.
Insect growth regulator: A substance that disrupts insect development, reproduction, or molting rather than acting as a conventional fast-acting poison. Some baits use growth disruption to weaken developing brood or reproductive capacity.
Hydramethylnon: A slow-acting insecticide that disrupts energy production in insects. It is used in some baits intended to spread toxic effects within ant colonies.

Linked from 5 pages