Ortho Orthene ant killer ant bait targets the colony indoors while the fire ant killer granules go to work on mounds outside in under an hour.
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We had pavement ants marching along the greenhouse baseboards for weeks. Set out the bait stations on a Friday, and by the following Wednesday the trail was gone. Simple to place, no mess.
Sprinkled the granules on three mounds after work, didn't water it in, went back the next morning and the mounds were dead quiet. That's really all I wanted.
Small apartment, one kitchen corner kept drawing little black ants no matter what I cleaned. Broke off two bait stations, tucked them under the sink and behind the trash can, and within a week they'd basically vanished. Wish I'd tried it sooner instead of wiping vinegar everywhere.
I treat a handful of client yards every spring and this is what I reach for on fire ant mounds. One bottle covers a lot more ground than you'd expect, and nobody's called me back complaining about a live mound since.
A single fire ant mound can hold thousands of workers and a queen that keeps the whole thing running. That's the problem Ortho set out to solve with Orthene: not just knocking down visible ants, but reaching the queen so the colony actually stops rebuilding. The active ingredient, acephate, has been the backbone of the Orthene line for decades, sold under names like Orthene 97 and formulated into dry powder, granules, dust, and ready-to-use sprays depending on the job. Some products are built for the lawn, sprinkled straight onto mounds with no mixing or watering. Others are made for baseboards, cabinets, and window sills, where ants forage and carry bait back to share with the rest of the colony. Ortho keeps the instructions plain because most people using this aren't exterminators, they're homeowners trying to get their yard or kitchen back. No filler ingredients disguised as innovation, no vague promises. Just a formula that's been around long enough to have a track record, packaged into sizes that fit an apartment problem or an acre of lawn. That's the whole idea behind the brand: solve the ant problem at its source, then let people get on with their weekend.
Orthene earns its shelf space because it treats the cause, not just the ants you can see. The fire ant granules reach the queen inside the mound, which is the difference between a lawn that stays clear and one where new mounds pop up every few weeks. Indoors, the bait stations work the same logic in miniature: worker ants carry the bait home, and the whole colony feeds on it. There's no mixing, no spraying yourself into a headache, and the dry powder formula means less odor lingering in the house. It's straightforward enough for a first-time DIY homeowner, yet strong enough that landscapers keep bottles in the truck. Different pest, different package, same acephate backbone doing the work.
These 12 stations tuck into baseboards, cabinet corners, and pantry edges — anywhere you've spotted trails of pharaoh, pavement, or odorous house ants. Worker ants carry the bait back to the nest, so the whole colony (queen included) collapses within days rather than just the ants you can see. Snap them apart, set them label-side down, and expect fewer ants in your kitchen or garage within 3-7 days.
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This two-pack of 12 oz. granule bottles goes straight onto the mound, no mixing or watering required, and starts killing fire ants and their queen within 60 minutes. Each bottle covers up to 162 mounds, so it's enough to handle a serious outbreak across lawns, flower beds, and around shrubs without buying more mid-treatment. Pair it with Ortho's broadcast granules for the full 2-step approach if new mounds keep popping up after the first round.
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Sprinkle this dry powder straight from the 14 oz bottle onto each mound and it starts killing within 60 minutes, reaching the queen and collapsing the colony from the inside out. No mixing or watering-in required, which makes it a practical first move for lawns and beds around flowers, trees, and shrubs. Pair it with Ortho's broadcast granules afterward to stop new mounds from popping up and actually reclaim your yard for the season.
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This 97.4% acephate concentrate is the same systemic backbone growers rely on for soybeans, cotton, and tobacco, so your roses and shade trees get commercial-grade muscle against aphids, Japanese beetles, whitefly, and leafhoppers. Because it moves through plant tissue rather than just coating leaves, it keeps working on chewing and sucking pests long after a garden hose treatment would've washed off. At .773lb per can, it's a mixing concentrate for DIY homeowners tackling turf, ornamentals, and vegetable garden pests in one broad-spectrum pass.
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This 1-lb dust formulation goes straight into the cracks, crevices, and runway areas where roaches and ants actually hide, then keeps working for up to 8 months without needing to be watered in. It's odorless, so you can treat baseboards indoors or lay down a perimeter barrier outside — around ornamentals, shrubs, even vegetable gardens — without stinking up the house. One container handles ants, roaches, fleas, ticks, spiders, scorpions, and stink bugs, making it a practical pick for anyone tired of buying a different product for every pest that shows up.
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Sprinkle this 6 oz formula directly on the mound and it goes to work in hours, reaching the queen so the whole colony collapses instead of just the ants you can see. The 50% acephate formula skips the reduced-odor-but-still-smelly reputation older fire ant killers have, and the built-in seal opener means you're not hunting for scissors mid-application. One treatment holds the line on fire ants for up to six weeks, so your lawn and garden beds stay usable without repeat trips to the shed.
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These pellets pack 97.4% acephate, mixed into dry granules that dissolve for cracks, crevices, and perimeter treatments where ants and roaches like to set up shop. The 10-bag box gives you enough product to work an entire yard or hit fire ant mounds repeatedly through a season, killing the queen and colony rather than just the workers you see. It's built for the DIY homeowner who wants professional-grade, long-lasting control without hiring an exterminator every time a new mound pops up.
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Shake the 2.5 lb. container in a 2-foot band around your foundation and the 97.4% acephate granules go to work on more than a hundred species, from fire ant mounds to earwigs and scorpions hiding near the crawl space. One application holds the line for up to 3 months, covering 2,500 sq. ft. of perimeter so you're not reapplying every time it rains. It's a straightforward DIY fix for homes, garages, and mobile homes alike, built for people who'd rather patrol the yard once a season than chase ant trails every week.
View ProductIt depends on the product. The indoor ant bait stations get ants feeding within 30 minutes, with visibly fewer ants in 3-7 days as the bait spreads through the colony. The fire ant granules work faster on contact, starting to kill within 60 minutes of sprinkling on the mound.
It targets the entire colony, not just visible worker ants. The granules kill the queen along with the colony and destroy the mound at the source, which is what stops new mounds from popping up in the same spot later on.
Acephate, the active ingredient in Orthene products (97.4% in some formulations), is a registered insecticide meant for use per label directions around homes, lawns, and gardens. Always follow the label's safety instructions, keep it away from food-prep surfaces, and store it out of reach of children and pets.
The fire ant granules are labeled for use around ornamental plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, and turf, so it's formulated to be used directly in landscaped areas. As with any lawn treatment, follow the application rate on the label rather than oversaturating a single area.
The products described here are labeled for common household ants (like pharaoh, Argentine, pavement, crazy, ghost, little black, and odorous house ants) and outdoor fire ants. They're not labeled for fire, carpenter, or harvester ants indoors, so check the specific product label for roach claims before buying for that purpose.
Coverage depends on bottle size. The 12 oz. bottle treats up to 162 fire ant mounds, and the 14 oz. bottle stretches to about 189 mounds. That makes either size a reasonably long-lasting solution for a yard with a recurring fire ant problem.
Acephate is the active ingredient inside Orthene products. Some formulations list it at 97.4% concentration, and it's what actually kills the ants and queen. When people ask if acephate and Orthene are the same, they're really asking about the chemical versus the branded product it's sold in.
Break the 12 bait stations apart and place them label-side down where you've seen ants, such as baseboards, cabinet corners, pantry shelves, window sills, doorways, and near garbage cans. Foraging worker ants carry the bait back to the colony, so you don't need to treat every single ant you see.
No. The dry powder granules are ready to use straight from the bottle, which has a built-in seal opener for easy application. Just sprinkle the labeled amount over each mound and let it work; there's no mixing, measuring, or watering-in step required.
Orthene products cover indoor ant control in homes, apartments, and garages, plus outdoor fire ant control on lawns, turf, and around ornamental plants and vegetable gardens. Different formulations (bait stations, granules, dust) are made for different jobs, so match the product to whether you're dealing with an indoor infestation or outdoor mounds.
Check current prices and view the products to match the bottle size, bait station count, or granule formula to whatever's crawling through your yard or kitchen.
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