Optigard Ant Gel Bait - Questions & Answers

When used as directed on the product label Optigard Ant Bait Gel is safe to use in a home with pets (unless your pets are ants). According to the product label, you should place bait in wall voids and in cracks and crevices in kitchens and bathrooms, under sinks, window sills and door frames, screen vents, attics, crawl spaces and garages.

Both Optigard Ant Bait Gel and Advion Ant Bait Gel are on a pretty even keel with each other. They are both very attractive to ants and offer a delayed reaction which allows the ants to get back to their colony and spread the bait.

It is important to keep the Optigard Ant Bait Gel out for as long as you see ant activity. Ant colonies can be very large and depending on the species it can take a few weeks to completely eliminate the whole colony. While the gel is still effective after it has dried, some ants may not accept it as readily as moist gel.

Optigard has a very low toxicity level and can not be inhaled. If it touches your skin, wash your skin with soap and hot water to remove it. The Optigard Ant Bait Gel is made primarily from food based ingredients and only contains enough active ingredient to kill something the size of an ant. Any side effect to a human would vary on the human and their sensitivity to the product.

Optigard Ant Bait Gel and Advanced 375A  should be used within one year of the date of purchase to be sure that the bait is still fresh.

Optigard Ant Bait Gel should be placed in places where it is out of reach of children and animals.  It contains food grade additives so that it's attractive to ants, and therefor it may be attractive to animals as well.  There is a very small amount of insecticide in the product, so a 50lb dog would have to consume quite a bit to cause any reaction, however it's always recommended to check with your vet or local posion control anytime your pet has insecticides.  

The Optigard product label specifically not to use Optigard for Pharaoh ants. This is likely because the colonies are so large that they can be hard to control with baits and the manufacturer did not want negative results associated with their product and also, Pharaoh ants can be a bit picky and will often ignore baits. Instead you may want to consider using a product such as Phantom Aerosol. Phantom comes with a straw attachment for precision applications and should be applied around baseboards, door frames, window frames and places where utilities (cables, pipes and wires) enter through the wall as these are the most likely places for the ants to enter/exit. Phantom is a non-repellent insecticide that has a delayed reaction which allows ants time to get back to the colony and spread the product. In essence, the ants will not be able to tell that the product is in place and they will pick it up on the fine hairs all over their body and inadvertently carry it back to the colony where over a course of a few days it will knock out the entire colony. Phantom works really well because you don't have to worry about whether the ants will all take the bait, they just need to walk over the treated areas.

Optigard Ant Bait Gel is only labeled for and will only be effective on ants.  It will not be effective on other insects as the attractants it contains are formulated for ants.  The only other bait gels that we carry are for cockroaches, not other small insects or bed bugs.  If you have a bed bugs, we would suggest one of our Bedbug Kits. Please take a few moments to review our treatment article/videos on How to Get Rid of Bedbugs for more information on a successful eradication program.

Optigard Ant Bait Gel should be used as often as needed until the ants are completely eliminated.  You can clean at anytime as part of treatment just be sure to avoid spraying or wiping areas the bait has been applied.

While Optigard Ant Bait Gel is a great ant bait, its not specifically labeled for Rover ants. We do however carry a bait specifically for Rover ants called Intice Rover Ant Bait and it controls rover ants as well as most other ants as well. If you feel a spray would be more beneficial at this point you could use a spray like Phantom II Aerosol to spray along crevices where you see ant activity and they will pick it up on their bodies and transfer it back to the nest just through touch and contact. 

Yes, we have Optigard Ant Gel Bait here.  

Most people choose to spray insecticide outdoors or to use a bait granule that may fair a bit better under outdoor conditions. The Optigard Ant Bait Gel is labeled for outdoor use:

Outdoor Use
Place bait on, into or adjacent to structures where ants are observed, adjacent to ant trails and to
areas suspected of ant activity. Optimal locations for bait placement are points of entry into the structure
and areas with potential periods of high moisture such as: soffits, eaves, weep holes, and where
pipes and wires enter the structure. Exposure to direct sunlight, extreme heat or cold and water may
reduce length of bait effectiveness. Bait may also be placed outdoors into refillable tamper-resistant
bait stations. Close tamper-resistant stations securely after application. During follow-ups inspect
placements and reapply as needed

Opitgard gel should not be placed in the toilet. It can however be placed around the toilet. Please our carpenter ant guide here for more tips and information on how to treat and prevent these pests. 

Gel baits can sometime liquify if it got warm during transit. You can try refridgerating the tube for 30 min or so to thicken the gel up and squeeze the tube to mix it around. 
 
 
 

Yes, Optigard Ant Gel Bait is able to be purchased and sold in Pennsylvania. With our free standard shipping, we typically ship within 1 business day and packages arrive within 3-10 business days. 

Yes, Optigard Ant Bait Gel is labeled for carpenter ants. Please take a moment to review the product label instructions as well as our Carpenter Ant Control Guide for more information and helpful tips on eradicating this pest.

Optigard Ant Gel Bait is a sugar/carb based bait.