Ant Attack! (Ant Stop! Bait Station)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Ant Stop! Bait Station
Date:	07/07/09 (124 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very effective. Safe to use around pets

Disadvantages: None.

The recent warm weather has been very good for ants, with their breeding cycle being accelerated, getting them ready for their mating flights weeks earlier than usual. I had a 'close encounter' with an ant colony recently when I returned home to find my living room a seething, crawling mass of worker ants on the lookout for food!

There were literally hundreds of them crawling about near the window area which faces the back garden. I could see piles of cement dust under the window where the busy little workers had excavated their passageways.

I love wildlife, and would never harm ants in the garden, but this was a bit close for comfort! How to get rid of several hundred moving ants, though? I quickly got my Dyson vacuum cleaner, attached the flat suction attachment to the hose, and proceeded to suck up the ants. It worked, within a couple of minutes, all the ants were moving around the Dyson's 'dirt bag'. Emptying it was fun, though!

I knew that removing the visible ants would only be a temporary respite; the colony would contain hundreds more, with the queen laying more eggs every day that would grow into more workers.

Fortunately, I'd prepared for this summer's ant invasion. I had a packet of Antstop Bait Stations. These come as a pack of two. The bait station is a round flat cylinder with four ant sized holes in. The station contains a bait that attracts the ants to it and an insecticide that the ants inadvertently take back to the colony.

The insecticide, Fipronil is a slow acting insect poison, so is transferred to other ants in the colony, poisoning them also. Once an ant has found a food source, it is able to 'direct' other workers to it. The poison is therefore carried back repeatedly to the nest, slowly poisoning the whole colony.

Within three to six days, the whole colony will be dead. This was the case with my 'outbreak'. Ants were seen for the first couple of days entering and leaving the bait station, then nothing. My invasion had been halted.

The Antstop Bait Station is a superbly implemented product for two reasons. Firstly, unlike many ant powders, it does not kill the ants immediately, so they're able to take the poison back to the colony. Secondly, again unlike ant powders, the insecticide is sealed inside a container which only the ants can get at.

The Bait Station is made of quite thick plastic so would be almost impossible for a child to get into, and difficult for most pets, also. This means that the Antstop Bait Station is much safer to use than other insecticide products. Its design means that it can be placed anywhere; putting under a settee, for example will ensure that children and pets cannot get anywhere near it.

Although the poison is sealed inside the Bait Station, I would advise washing your hands if you handle it once it's in use (tiny amounts of the insecticide might be transferred to the case by the ants).

Fibronil is deadly to fishes, however. I would be cautious of using this anywhere near an aquarium in case the poison carrying ants fall into the water and are eaten by the fish (Fibronil is so toxic that even this small amount could pose a risk to aquarium fishes).

The Bait Stations remain effective for up to three months so they can be left in place throughout the summer (or stored away) in case another colony decides that your home is their home!

The pack of two Antstop Bait Stations costs around £4.00. This is great value for money to ensure an ant free house.

Summary: Will stop an ant infestation quickly and effectively.