20 Best Outdoor Spray For Ants (2022 Updated)

I received product reimbursement in exchange for my honest review. I was recently given the opportunity to try and give my opinion on STEM a new line of safe for use around children and pets ( when used as directed) bug killing spray that was recently brought to market by SC Johnson and I have to say that for the most part I am pretty impressed with how well it works.

The entire line of STEM products is formulated using natural botanical such as geraniol and lemon grass oil. I tested it at a family picnic at a park and used it to successfully kill any flies and ants that I saw around the table that we had our food on and I was very impressed with how quick it’s knockdown of the bug was.

It works fast and it works well. I was not as impressed with the oily residue it leaves behind or with the smell which in my opinion was considerably worse than most traditional insecticides I have used.

The oily residue of very slick and if left on hard surfaces it is potentially dang erous because it would be easy for someone to slip and fall in it. On other t ypes of more porous surfaces such as fabric and furniture it can leave an oily stain behind.

I am not at all surprised that botanical oils can be useful for killing insects because they have long been used to do so. The smell is not at all botanical smelling and it lingers heavily and takes a long time to disperse so be prepared for that.

Overall I would recommend this product because it works well and it works fast. I would however recommend that you use it sparingly on hard surfaces. such as floors where it may be a slip and fall hazard and that you test it for staining on an inconspicuous area before using it on fabric and furniture.

I received product reimbursement in exchange for my honest review. When sprayed directly on flies, the product did kill them quickly in under a minute. It is safe for around people and pets, which I like.

While it does have an odor, it is not as bad as other pest control products I have used in the past. I do not think it will work well for indoor or if not direct spray usage though. STEM’s base is liquid mineral oil.

The directions say wait to walk on an area until it dries because it will be slippery. But it has a liquid mineral oil base, it never completely dries and the surface sprayed remains greasy and slippery.

If this is sprayed indoors, wherever it is sprayed, there would be a oily film left. I did spray two problem areas and left them overnight to see if there would be any dead insects the next morning. I checked late morning and didn’t see any dead insects.

I don’t know if ants crawling through the sprayed surface went elsewhere to die or if just walking on a sprayed surface isn’t enough to killed them. Same with the window air conditioner and flies. I didn’t see any dead flies in the window area either.

To conclude, STEM works great when you spray an insect directly. I think it would work well if you have a nest issue like a wasp nest or an ant colony. However, it leaves surfaces with an oily film and I didn’t see evidence in the form of dead insects to indicate that it worked by spraying problem areas for insects to walk through.

Being that it is safe for people and pets, I would still recommend for pest control for any of nesting areas like example I mentioned above and if used inside the home, just be sure to thoroughly wipe up the area of the oily residue.

I received product reimbursement in exchange for my honest review. Prior to today, I hadn’t heard of the company STEM, so I had no experience with their products. The appearance of the bottles is very simple, yet easily recognizable as a pest control product.

We’ve been dealing with flies quite a bit this Spring/Summer already. We had tried a few products, but had little to no results, and many of them are harmful to more than just those pesky nuisance’s.

So, that’s where STEM comes in to play. Our household is a pet and child zone, so using products that are child and pet safe is a huge bonus. STEM makes it easy to not have to worry about inhaling poisonous fumes, and keeping our families safe.

I sprayed this stuff onto the problem areas and could instantly see a difference. Now I don’t believe it kills on contact, or at least it didn’t seem to be, but, it definitely killed the flies as plenty of evidence was seen.

Thus far after a full day, no signs of flies has me feeling pretty good about this product. It has almost no scent to it, making it easy to breath, not feeling like you’ve got to evacuate the area after using it.

No messy or greasy surfaces, it dries quite fast with no signs that anything was even used. STEM also kills ants and roaches, so it’s definitely a nice product to have for this time of year. I can’t speak on it for any test of time beyond 24 hours, but I will say it has impressed me more than any others I’ve tried, and has done so in a much quicker fashion.

At this point, I would highly recommend giving STEM a try and seeing for yourself. It’s working for me so far, so I have no doubt that you too will be impressed.

I have a campsite with nothing but woods and water around it. I get lots of insects in my camper and around my camper. Especially ants and spiders. I used Ortho® Home Defense Max® Ant, Roach & Spider spray and I was very impressed.

I used it right before we left for the weekend and when we came back the following weekend I was amazed at the results. I used it inside of our camper around the outside of it and in our outdoor Porta pot area.

The results definitely made me happy. I love that there was no fumes when I opened up the camper door. So far we haven’t had any more issues and it’s almost the end of camping season. I will definitely be using it from now on and I highly recommend it.

Not just for camp but for everywhere.

I received my ortho home defense max ant roach and spider spray and this product really does work. I have tried every insect spray that I could find and I never found a product that works as good as ortho home defense max.

I haven’t had any insects in my home since I received my product and used it for the first time. I spray it around my doors and windows. It also has no fumes which I love. I would definitely recommend this product it really does work great.

I received this product from a free sampling program in exchange for my honest feedback.

I used the Ortho Home Defense Spray to get rid of some spiders around the house. I sprayed a barrier along the wall/floor in the basement in an effort to keep spiders and even ants away. After shaking the can, it was easy to spray and got an even amount for the barrier.

The spray smelled but not fumes like the other methods where you were left coughing. Overall it works pretty well but nothing is perfect. I do think its effective enough to be worth continued use.

Excellent product that totally works!!! It has no smell, but if you spray a lot and there is a liquid residue, make sure to wear protective rubber gloves while wiping it up.

This is the only thing I have found that kills Scorpions. If they do make into the house, they are very near death. I love this stuff, and am happy to be able to get it. I HIGHLY recommend it!!!! It works on all sorts of creepy crawling things.

Best I have found!!!.

Since I am unable at times to get to a local hardware store, Jet. com had just the right product for the right price so I ordered it and have used it already and have seen the results for which I am grateful.

Those little annoying buggers are no longer. Best purchase ever!.

This product works! Had a huge problem with carpenter ants in new home, spiders too. Used as an insecticide indoors and outdoors. Pests, all insect, die when in contact with this stuff and no trace of them days after.

Non-toxic for humans also. Highly recommend. Ignore the low ratings. Either they are using this product or didn’t rate the right product. You will need a sprayer to apply.

The mixing directions were easy to follow. The product needs repeat application. The price is reasonable. After application, it takes time to see an effect.

I loved it the first time I used it but after that, i don’t feel it’s worth 27 dollars a bottle. It’s ok though and it does thicken your hair, but it also makes mine fly away! So, now I just rotate the shampoos instead of using it everyday.

To be honest, I have 2 other shampoos which I prefer to this one and neither cost as much as B+B.

I have purchased several EcoSmart products over the years and really have been impressed with them. The problem with this purchase is not with the actual product, but the can. I am having trouble getting it to spray.

I have followed the directions, have checked to be sure the arrows line up, but it is still difficult to spray. When I do get it to spray, it’s a very fine mist and I don’t feel that I am geting any good coverage with it.

For that reason, I am still seeing fleas.

It definitely kills insects and even ants. Strong mint smell but certainly better than a strong toxic ingredient smell. The smell hangs around for a while but I usually wipe everything after the insect dies.

It does leave an ‘oil’ type of mark on concrete but can be scrubbed with soap and water to remove. Still better than toxic stuff.

This stuff smells so overwhelming and awful!!! Ourr house has a stench so strong that we can barely breathe!! And we use it according to the instructions! It stinks so bad that you won’t want anybody to come into your home, it has ruined our house and we can’t get the smell out!! (All this for 4-5 carpenter ants over a few week period.

) AWFUL!!! We literally can barely breathe. Smells worse than fly spray for horses. Absolutely disgusting!!! Soooo NASTY!!! This is the worst product I have ever used in my life!!! Someone at this company should be paying to fix our home!!!.

Garbage. The first can worked great and killed ants and deterred them. The second can nozzle did not work and all of the contents spewed out the top all over my deck. A total waste of money and a horrible experience.

Do not like poison all over my deck. What a total waste. I contacted the manufacturer and they did not stand by their product…. blamed it on my storage and time in between uses!?! Really? Room temperature and from end of summer till mid summer!? I will never buy another Terro product again!.

Had Terminex out who treated for them for two months with repeat visits. After two months and over two hundred dollars, we canceled and I ordered this product. Since then, we have found dead carpenter ants all over.

Like Bengal Roach Spray, this product works.

Bought this because we were attacked by ants in the house. It seems to work but then after a few days the ants came back again so I would run to it as my first insect killer. Might work for you but for me I needed something permanent.

JS 685 is a must have and was introduced to me by my plumber. It is developed specially to prevent the destruction fire ants cause to outside sensitive electrical equipment, like compressors, relays, electric motors, etc.

This kills fire ants multiple ways for seven months if left undisturbed. In the country I use every four months or as needed. A 13 oz can costs $25, less than a service call on your air conditioner, outdoor pumps and other electrical devices.

I have used this product and it has saved me hundreds of dollars on service calls and outdoor parts. Terro T1700 is a good brand to use around the farm house porch, before company arrives from the city.

Keeps the creapy crawlers away! Smiles.

I use a 3 prong system against spiders- b/c I HATE them. HATE. So I have these glue trap things everywhere (under furniture, in closets, under beds, etc), & we use Ortho Home Defense every other MONTH inside and outside along like the baseboards, window & door frames, under/behind appliances – you get the idea.

I don’t mess around. BUT, even with all that I have come across 3 Black Widows outdoors in the last five years; not RIGHT outside but still, in our outdoor area. All 3 times I ran & got the Ortho H. D.

spray AND this trusty orange can. And thank goodness I did, b/c all three times the Ortho just made them come AT ME (no joke), but coating them in this spray KILLED THEM DEAD WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES!!! Plus, it stopped their charge at me within seconds, keeping me safe while I coated them in this spray.

Don’t get me wrong – I love Ortho, & it probably would’ve killed them eventually- but they might have made it to me to bite first. I ALWAYS keep 2 cans of this stuff ready to go in the house, & for an “instant” spider kill, you can’t beat it.

But it is isn’t like a stream spray, so you have to get close; & don’t spray it above you without something to protect your face from some of it misting back down on you. Also, it’s stupid but I have to put a big piece of duct tape over it as soon as we buy it- to cover the GIANT SPIDER on the can! Why put the very thing I’m terrified of & trying to kill with your product in GIANT size ON the product? For Pete’s sake Mr.

Manufacturer, think about changing that please.

This Terri spray works so freakin’ good. I spray this outside my window, around the outer park of my widow ledge. Use it all around. N in my bathrm window. Sometimes spiders, would come in from outside the plant, next to my window.

I would find like 3-4 spiders wk. Lil small ones. But not nemore!! This kills spiders super fast. No joke. N I’ve killed black widows outside. I’m always spraying outside, cuz all the plants my mom has outside.

Kills ants, roaches, n spiders. Kills other insects too. But if u have any problems, with ants or spiders. Even roaches, this spray works wonders. Ever since I’ve bought it, I have bought many times again.

N it’s a great deal. Does what it says it does. I highly recommend this product. I love it.

I have used this spray against all types of insects, and it works the best out of them all even more expensive stuff. Now, I have never dealt with termite swarmers getting into any place I have lived in, until I made a major move to a new area and it gets much hotter here where I now live at, versus where I used to, and even though I am under contract for termite control, these pest control people aren’t very trustworthy.

with their work. Even though I was told there there was nothing I could do about the swarmers, as they will die on their own , there are horrible to deal with, so me and my family had to perform our own pest control to help keep them away.

We used a different pesticide on the exterior, caulked up as much as we could both on the exterior and interior of the house, installed warm colored LED bulbs inside of our house (which helps to keep away pests including termites), and I recently went back to buying this insect spray and I make sure to routinely spray it around baseboards, bottom of sinks, bottom of toilets, around bottom of tubs, windowsill, and ever since doing this, me and my family haven’t seen any more pests.

This spray is also good to use directly on a pest if you happen to see one or more pop up unexpectedly too. As, it works as a preventative against pest and an on the spot treatment to kill any pest that may pop up from out of the blue too.

It leaves no lingering odor and doesn’t end up making me cough like so many other insect sprays I have tried in the past. So, do not believe that there is nothing you can don about termite dearness if you see them appear inside of where you live.

Nobody should have to be subjected to having termites drop on hem or their children from the ceilings or crawl out from other spaces, and wait hours for them to finally die. Be proactive and do the things that I recommend and it will definitely give you greater peace for sure.

I am writing this for anybody that’s trying to compare raid to any other brand. OK so let’s be honest a lot of times we come to review looking for answers well I’m here to give you a clear answer. Sometimes the brands that actually work could be more costly than the non-namebrand and we’re trying to decide if it’s worth it to buy the brand name let me tell you it’s definitely worth it.

I have tried all of the different roach sprays out there including this one. Raid is at the top of the list by a long shot. For example I would say hot shot is the next runner-up brand and even that one takes about I would say 20 to 30 seconds for the Roach to actually die which I’m not saying it’s bad but I’m saying if you really have a serious roach problem You want to get rid of them and kill them quickly as possible.

Raid instantly kills on-contact. When it hits the roach it’s like it almost paralyzed it. This is good if you’re trying to kill multiple roaches at once you’re able to spray one, move on and not have to worry about watching to see if it dies or if it crawls away.

I don’t know what’s in the ingredients but they die instantly. I will say if you have a roach problem and you’re using other brands sometimes they can build up a resistance because it’s just not strong enough.

Also raid smell is not over bearing like other brands. It’s also less messy and shoots more on contact than others. Hot shot is super messy and sprays back in your face if you’re spraying more up. If you are undecided this is your answer to buy raid and raid only.

It has killed several kinds of spiders on contact. Wolf for one. I was lucky enough to have a can in hand when I found a Joro spider. It killed it. They are notoriously hard to kill. You have to wet this spider and their webs are thick.

Get behind it. Spray the spider. Works great. Also kills other bugs.

IšverstiShow in original languageOkay so I spray of this will make sure not even a small bug can pass the area. It’s super strong chemicals so make sure you wear a mask. It says that the affect will last for months so not sure how much but it’s very powerful.

IšverstiShow in original languageis the best spray to get rid of ants in the house. I live in a very wooded area and the ants are so bad especially in the summer time and I have tried so many products but this ant killer is the best one yet.

I spray along my counter tops and along my bar and I don’t see ants for days so I would recommend the product if you have ant problems like myself.

IšverstiShow in original languageI live in Texas where the ant struggle is real! We have fire ants, carpenter ants, and everything in between. My daughters play in our backyard and I want to know it’s a safe place for them.

Every time we see an ant, we use Hot Shot and they are immediately exterminated. Worth every penny.

IšverstiShow in original languageHot Shot DOES NOT kill roaches. I was five inches away from a countertop full of them (yes- disgusting) and was DRENCHING them in this stuff. Some of them were doing an impressive backstroke in the growing puddle of “Hot Shot,” but they weren’t expiring.

Mind you- all of them were “under water”- completely immersed in the liquid from the can. Unless there is a delayed reaction where they go home and die in their sleep after they go to sleep it off, all this stuff does is make them flail around.

A couple of them were staggering a little as they went back to their hidey holes after they got out of the pool, but none of them died right in front of me. Not one. Maybe it kills little baby ones [edit: no, it doesn’t] but the ones in here are about three quarters of an inch long.

They are just your standard roaches- we don’t live next door to Three Mile Island or anything. And while they appeared briefly disoriented after being sprayed, not one of them expired that I could see.

So “Kills On Contact” is not true. “Fast Knockdown” is not true either, unless this term refers to them falling over before learning the backstroke really fast before scampering off. This product should be called “Shower Time for Roaches,” not Hot Shot.

It doesn’t stink and has a rather pleasant scent, but I didn’t buy it because I needed an air freshener. Maybe the roaches like the smell- I don’t know. I’m stuck with two full cans of this crap with bugs everywhere.

…Well- it is making ME feel funny. Maybe it makes you so woozy you forget the bugs are there. Oh- and it will give you a headache. Spend the dollar plus whatever more, and get Raid. That stuff does the job.

This stuff is garbage. (I tried an experiment. I sprayed a baby roach in order to observe the “effects” of this product under more controlled circumstances. I squirted it. It ran away from the wetness, then stopped.

Ah, thought I- it’s dead. Nope. I had just given it a “time out,” and after a few moments of walking a little irregularly, it “stood up straight” and walked away as if nothing had happened to it. I thought I may have heard a tiny “Thanks for the free bath, lady!” as it vanished.

).

IšverstiShow in original languageI received a can of Hot Shot Ant, Roach & Spiker Killer 17. 5 oz. fragrance free in return for my use and honest review. The product came very carefully packaged, so there was no chance of leakage or spillage en route.

With the weather getting cooler here in Southern Colorado, I am seeing more ants and spiders trying to get their way into our house and garage. One application of Hot Shot worked great to keep both my house and garage pest free.

I will continue to be vigilant in watching for evidence of new infestations, but feel confident that Hot Shot will keep my home in good shape. I especially like the fact that there is no lingering scent that I can detect.

Watch out bugs!.

I have used this product and it works. I mix it a bit heavy compared to what the label says. I mix half bottle to 25-30 Gallons of water. I use a Fimco 40 gallon broadcast sprayer and this amount easily covers 1 acre.

Neither my dog or Sulcata Tortoises seem to be bothered by it (although I do not have them out during spraying). After spraying I see the results immediate. The mosquitos virtually disappear and stay gone for at least a week.

For the price of this product it is outstanding! Used in Metro Phoenix AZ Area.

I just discovered the benefits of cedar oil this year and will now use it going forward as my main attack on fleas and ticks in our yards. A few years back both myself and dogs were finding ticks(and fleas) on our clothing and fur.

Did research and found out about cedar oil as a defense. Happy to say I have found NO ticks this year and only 1 flea on dog. Refuse to use chemical flea/tick products on dogs and diatomaceous earth is messy and not easy to use.

Wondercide is so simple, effective and very pet and people friendly that I can use it often without worry. Plus I can use directly on myself and the dogs for an extra layer of protection. And it smells awesome too! No more conventional scary chemicals for me!.

6/19/2017 We are so happy to finally find a flea and tick product that does not jeopardize the health of our beloved 12 cats and one dog. Thank you Wondercide for all your research and hard work to develop a safe alternative to those “spot treatments” we have always hated and been afraid to use even though we had to in the past with such flea infestation here in the South.

We received our Wondercide within two days of ordering – remarkable! We ordered the lemongrass, it does have quite a strong odor, but can live with it for a few days to feel we are not poisoning our babies.

Again, Thank You Wondercide! Scott and Linda Augusta,Ga.

In October 2021 I used the Raid Max Perimeter with auto trigger product as directed and sprayed on the inside and outside of the doors and windows in my bedroom and master bathroom (connected to my bedroom) to get rid of ants near my back sliding glass door.

It sprayed ALOT of liquid with the auto trigger on the surface and ran down and laid in the track of my sliding door. It immediately had a strong odor and I could taste it in my mouth. I opened doors and windows and used fans to ventilate.

After a few of days of sleeping in my room I started to feel sick with nausea, headache, and just feeling unwell. My husband had to use his inhaler several times throughout the night, which he doesn’t normally do and he has asthma.

We left on that Monday to go to Florida for business and after a couple of days I started to feel better and by that Friday we were flying back home and I felt great. After returning home I slept in my room Friday and Saturday and I started to feel sick and by Sunday I was feeling very ill again with the same symptoms and my husband was was getting headaches as well.

After we realized it was the Raid that was affecting us, we stopped sleeping in our bedroom for months now and have been sleeping in another bedroom in our home. Anytime I’m in the room for long periods of time I can smell and taste it in my mouth and I start to feel ill after prolonged exposure.

I contacted the company and have done several things they suggested, including paying to have the door removed and painted, rented air scrubbers, and nothing has helped. I had an environmental company come out and test the air quality and the chemical is still in the air in my bedroom.

From my experience I will never use RAID products again! Please be careful if you use this product inside your home!!.

My GO-TO! Using for years! I just bought another, I’ve been using this for years both indoor (where safe, behind laundry machine) and outdoor. I live in a condo so everything is enclosed but that doesn’t mean things can’t track in.

That doesn’t mean my patio doesn’t get bugs even though I live on 2nd floor. With every time I’ve moved (I’ve been using for 10 years!) I always take the first day to clean then spray perimeters. It works, at my last home I found a dead scorpion where I had sprayed when I moved in, under the appliances! And two days ago I found a dead bug from my perimeter spray 2.

5 months ago. Please never stop making this! I love the electronic trigger and there is a lock, especially since I have a small child. This is the BEST product and you can buy refills too. Don’t spend your money on pest control.

This is a simple DIY that works much better! In homes and apartments, outdoors, etc.

We are living in a newer house but, even so, bugs have been a major problem and annoyance. It seems like no matter what we used they still somehow made their way into our home. Ants and spiders and the occasional beetle have been the main problem.

I decided to give Raid Max Perimeter Protection a try. So far I’ve used the product in our basement, especially around the window frames and the air ducts leading outside. I’m confident this will create a barrier that will keep all the pests out.

I already found one spider as I was spraying and it took care of it instantly. I also tried it outside on our front porch and I intend to spray the entire perimeter of our home around any possible entry points.

I love the handy sprayer. It comes with the batteries needed so no need to make a separate purchase. It sprays evenly and is easy to control. I like that this spray can be used both indoors and outdoors.

I also appreciate that there’s no odor or oily residue which is especially important when using indoors. What excites me the most is that the product prevents bugs and does so for up to 18 months. That’s great piece of mind.

I would definitely recommend Raid Max Perimeter Protection. With 1 gallon of product, this is an affordable and easy way to prevent pests in your home. This review was collected as part of a promotion, and the opinions are my own.

I love this because it’s safer around my cats, but it don’t kill as fast as chemicals do. It rained and a invading swarm of ants flooded our deck boards closest to the door and began covering the door.

We immediately went for the black can of hornet spray only to find it empty. So I grabbed Raid Essentials Ant and Roach Killer 29 spray and saturated the door and boards. In a few minutes the invading party came to a slowdown.

This was an unusual night and not the normal thin or sparse trail of ants 1 might discover in the kitchen. So because of that over half the bottle was used. Those ants died because the solution beads instead completely absorbing into service and drowns some of them in the beads while killing the unwrapped ones too.

Doesn’t kill immediately on contact but worked fast enough on invading small black ants. We had a white moth cocoon in the upper corner of our deck door unnoticed along with a brown raised spot that suddenly opened up with lots of crawling bugs or spiders that headed to feast on the moth inside cocoon.

Saturated that with a few sprays and after 5 minutes all movement ceased and they stayed dead. So this can work on tiny spider hatchling too. We also opened our door to find a swarm of gnats ready to enter.

Couldn’t close the door fast enough but Dad sprayed them with this and they got plastered to the door frame greatly minimizing the annoying pest that invaded our home. I can’t comment on how this performs on roaches since I haven’t seen any in months.

Definitely will repurchase unless I find the Raid Essentials for spider killing instead.

I purchased this to get rid of a pretty big ant colony in the yard. I followed the directions and have used it several times over the course of many months. After I sprinkled it I watched the ants and I would see them pick up the granules.

I was pleased that they were actually picking it up but today, I paid closer attention. Yes, the ants were picking up the granules, but what they were actually doing is moving the granules away from the ant hill.

They would pick up the granules, walk away from the ant hill, put the granules down, then go back to the ant hill. They weren’t taking the poison back to the rest of the colony. No wonder the stupid colony is still around after months of using this stuff.

And the colony seems to only have gotten bigger. What a joke this stuff is and what a waste of time and money. I would give this stuff no stars if I could.

I’ve used this product for 10 years. I’m in Wisconsin and if I apply it in May I never get ants in my house. If I forget, or it’s out of stock when I need it, by or early or mid-June I will have ants.

Nothing to worry about though because within a few days of applying it outside that situation is resolved. I’ve never needed to use any bug or ant prevention inside my home when I use this product outside, and that’s fantastic since I have a dog who likes to get into everything.

I’m purchasing this product super early (and enough for 2 years) so I don’t have to worry about finding empty shelves at my local garden center when I need it in May. That happened last year, so I’m being a little proactive.

This stuff really works! Last summer I had a terrible ant problem. Nothing I did helped and I have an indoor pet so I don’t feel comfortable spraying anything inside on the floor. This got rid of virtually all ants! I saw some ants climbing my doorframe last week so I sprinkled all around the house and across the doorstep and under the welcome mat.

They were all gone within minutes! I will always have this on hand from now on!.