Looking for the top fire killers that are pet friendly?
Perfect! In this Pest Strategies guide you’ll learn:
- What makes a fire ant killer “pet safe?
- Are regular products for fire ants dangerous for your pets?
- How to use fire ant killers around your pets
- And our top 5 picks!
And much more!
Below is a quick list of all my top picks. Keep scrolling to learn more about my best buying tips and tricks.
Top 4 Best Pet Safe Fire Ant Killers
Are you short on time or just want a quick answer?
- Amdro Fire Ant Yard Treatment Bait
- Spectracide 96472 HG-96472 Insect Killer
- Terro Liquid Ant Bait Ant Killer
- Syngenta Advion Fire Ant Bait
1. Amdro Fire Ant Yard Treatment Bait
This 5-pound bag of fire ant bait from Amdro uses Hydramethylnon 0.0360%, Methoprene 0.0172% as the active ingredients. These are the same active ingredients as our first pick but at much weaker concentrations.
Amdro says the bag will cover 10,000 square feet, a little less than a quarter of an acre. It kills fire ants but it will take time for them to build up a lethal dose. The flip side of the equation is that it is almost entirely harmless to pets because it’s so weak.
Like most granular ant baits, it doesn’t fair well in inclement weather. You’ll need a hand spreader to use it.
The Good:
- Pet safe
- Easy to use
- Good active ingredients
The Bad:
- Concentration of active ingredients is weak
- One bag only covers a quarter of an acre
- Doesn’t do well immediately before or after it rains
Features:
- Pet safe
- Easy to use
- Good active ingredients
2. Spectracide 96472 HG-96472 Insect Killer
The active ingredient in this 10-pound bag of granules is Lambda-cyhalothrin 0.01%. The bag will cover about 5,000 square feet, about the size of an average yard, so this makes it well suited for most homeowners.
Since Lambda-cyhalothrin is a broad-spectrum insecticide, it’s not only a fire ant killer, it’s also effective against a wide range of other insects too. The product label mentions army worms, billbugs, chinch bugs, crickets, cutworms, earwigs, fleas, and many more.
As with all granules, it’s safe for your pets but doesn’t fare well in wet weather. Finally, it doesn’t last as long as the other fire ant killers on our list.
The Good:
- It’s easy to use
- It kills a wide range of insects
- It’s safe for your pets
The Bad:
- The active ingredient doesn’t last long
- It can’t be used in wet weather conditions
- The bag only covers 5,000 square feet
Features:
- It’s easy to use
- It kills a wide range of insects
- It’s safe for your pets
3. Terro Liquid Ant Bait Ant Killer
These are pre-filled ant bait stations that use Borax as the active ingredient to kill an entire ant colony of fire ants or any other ants in the area.
Open each clear plastic bait station with the twist-off end then place it where the ants have been coming in.
Worker ants will smell the attractant on the bait, eat it, and take it back to their colony. It is an effective and easy method controlling fire ants without endangering your pets, as long as you put the bait stations where your pets can’t reach them and play with them.
This fire ant bait can be used outside as long as it’s not exposed to direct sunlight which will dry it up or placed in a low area where rainwater might collect and dilute it.
The Good:
- Very easy to use
- Effective bait traps
- Wipes out the entire colony
- Doesn’t require using an ant spray
The Bad:
- Keep it out of reach of your pets
- Direct sunlight will dry it up
Features:
- Effective bait traps
- Wipes out the entire colony
- Doesn’t require using an ant spray
4. Syngenta Advion Fire Ant Bait
Advion Fire Ant Bait from Syngenta uses Indoxacarb as the active ingredient, so it has very low toxicity. It’s an effective method of fire ant control and can be used against many other species of ants as well. Baiting with it will kill an entire ant colony in days.
Some customers have complained about the high price per pound but a single pound will cover an entire acre, so it’s worth it. Pets don’t appear to be interested in the granules so you can use it without endangering them.
Baiting is simple, just use a hand spreader on a low setting and you’ll start getting your ant problem under control. Don’t use it just before or after it rains.
The Good:
- It’s easy to use
- One pound covers an acre
- Kills the entire ant colony
- The active ingredient is Indoxacarb
- Pets ignore the tiny grains of bait
The Bad:
- The price is a bit high
- Can’t be used before or after it rains
Features:
- One pound covers an acre
- Kills the entire ant colony
- The active ingredient is Indoxacarb
What Are Pet Safe Fire Ant Killers?
Technically, there is no such thing as a pet safe fire ant killer. The reason is simple; while the biology of pets and insects are admittedly different, they also have many areas where they overlap and are susceptible to the same things.
This means any substance that can be harmful or lethal to one, has the potential to be harmful or lethal to the other. Since all fire ant killers contain an active ingredient that is poisonous to fire ants, they are all potentially dangerous to dogs, cats, fish, and birds.
What can turn a dangerous pesticide for killing fire ants into something safe to use around your pets, is the way you use it.
What Are The Different Types of Pet Safe Killers For Fire Ant?
Every ant killer on the market has to use an active ingredient that is lethal if it’s going to kill ants. We’ll briefly discuss the most common ones then tell you how to use them so they don’t present any risk to your beloved pets.
- Hydramethylnon: a slow-acting poison that needs to be eaten in order to be effective. If your pet rolls around in it, there won’t be any harmful effects.
- Methoprene: an insect growth regulator often used in conjunction with Hydramethylnon. Research has not found any risk from touching it or applying it to the skin of laboratory animals.
- Borax: a naturally occurring mineral (sodium borate salts) that has been used for years to control a wide range of pests. Eating it can lead to convulsions, confusion, and coma.
- Indoxacarb: a sodium channel blocker in the central nervous system that has to be eaten to be effective. Animal toxicity is considered very low.
Lambda-cyhalothrin: a synthetic version of natural pesticides found in the extracts of chrysanthemum flowers. It has to be eaten to be effective. Very low toxicity when applied to the skin.
As you can see, these products have to be ingested in order to present a danger to your pets. External use or exposure won’t hurt your pets or pose any risk to them.
However, some reviewers have advised people to use products containing the active ingredient acephate, which is found in Orthene Fire Ant Killer from Ortho. That’s a very dangerous organophosphate that can cause a wide array of health problems.
Acephate is an effective fire ant killer but it shouldn’t be used around pets.
What Makes A Fire Ant Killer Pet Friendly?
Since ingestion is the main vehicle by which pets can be exposed to the mild toxicity of most fire ant baits, the best way to protect them is by spreading the granules widely and evenly with a hand spreader or yard spreader.
Those tools spread the granules far and wide, thus taking advantage of the foraging behavior of most species of ants. However, the individual grains of bait are too small to attract the attention of your pets or harm them if they eat it.
This means you don’t want to leave small piles of granules directly on or near fire ant mounds, even though the product label might advise it. That’s a good mound treatment if you don’t have pets, but if you do, it encourages pets to sniff it out and eat it.
Are Regular Fire Ant Killers Unsafe For Dogs And Cats?
Most regular fire ant treatments are safe for dogs and cats as long as they’re granules that can be spread evenly over a large area or liquid baits in small containers that can be hidden from your pets. Sprays can be treated the same as granules.
However, beware of any ant killer that uses acephate. Organophosphates are powerful insecticides with high toxicity. We don’t recommend using them around pets.
