By Sergio Musetti | June 2026 | Home & Pest Control Reviews
I noticed the first few ants near the baseboard on a Tuesday morning. By Thursday I had a trail of them crawling straight out of the power strip on the wall, spreading across the textured surface, and heading toward the counter. I photographed it before doing anything, because I wanted to document exactly what I was dealing with and what it took to fix it.
This is that review.
My wall: ants emerging from the power strip and trailing down toward the counter. The TERRO T300B station is already placed at the base, bottom right.
TERRO Liquid Ant Killer Bait Stations T300B, 12 Count
★★★★★ 4.6/5 (157,455 reviews) | #1 Best Seller in Home & Kitchen
$10.96 (was $12.99)
100K+ bought in the past month. Free returns. Save 20% when you buy 2.
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What Was Actually Happening in My Wall
The power strip was not the source. It was the entry point. Ants follow pheromone trails laid by scout workers, and those trails often run through wall gaps, behind outlets, and along cables because those paths are protected from foot traffic and cleaning. What looked like an electrical problem was really a colony using the wall cavity as a highway.
The textured wall made the trail easy to see: dozens of small dark ants moving in both directions, some heading down toward the counter, some returning upward. That two-way traffic is the key behavior TERRO is designed to exploit. Workers going to a food source. Workers returning to the nest. If you can make that food source the bait, every return trip delivers borax deeper into the colony.
Why I Did Not Reach for a Spray
My first instinct was to spray. I had a can of Raid under the sink. I did not use it, for one reason: spraying would have killed the ants on the wall and broken the pheromone trail, but left the colony in the wall intact. Within a day or two new scouts would have found a new route and I would be back to the same problem.
Bait works on a different logic. You leave the trail alone. You let the workers find a food source that contains a slow-acting toxin. They carry it home and share it through trophallaxis, the mouth-to-mouth feeding system ants use to distribute food through the colony. The borax in TERRO at 5.4 percent concentration is calibrated to be slow enough that workers make it back to the nest before it affects them, but toxic enough that it spreads through the population and reaches the queen. No queen, no colony.
Video: Ants on My Wall and the Bait in Action
Video: the ants emerging from the power strip on my wall, trailing down, and gathering at the TERRO station.
How I Placed the Stations
I snapped open two stations from the 12-pack and placed them directly below the power strip, flat against the baseboard where the ant trail met the countertop surface. The idea is to intercept the trail at the point where ants transition from the wall to a horizontal surface, which is where they slow down and explore most actively.
I did not clean the trail first. That would have removed the pheromone markers the workers were following. I wanted them to keep coming, find the station, and start feeding. Within a few hours there were ants clustered around both stations. By the next morning the stations had a ring of workers around each opening. That is when most people panic and grab the spray. I left them alone.
Timeline: Day by Day
| Day | What I Observed |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Stations placed. Ants find them within hours. Trail still active on the wall. |
| Day 2 | Peak activity. More ants than before clustered at both stations. The bait is being carried back to the colony. |
| Day 4 | Wall trail visibly thinner. Activity at the stations also dropping. |
| Day 7 | Occasional stragglers only. The dense trail is gone. Counter clear. |
| Day 10 | Wall and counter completely clear. Stations still in place. Liquid level dropped about 60 percent. |
Which Ants Does TERRO Work On?
The ants on my wall were small, dark, and fast-moving. Based on their size and behavior, almost certainly odorous house ants or pavement ants, both sugar feeders and among the most common indoor species in North America. TERRO is specifically designed for this category, and also works on ghost ants, little black ants, acrobat ants, and crazy ants.
It is not effective on carpenter ants (larger, often near wood damage) or fire ants (aggressive outdoor mounds). If ants are ignoring the sweet bait entirely, you may have a protein-feeding species that requires a different product.
Pros and Cons After Using It
| What worked well | What to be ready for |
|---|---|
| Colony eliminated, not just surface ants | Day 2 surge in activity is unsettling if unexpected |
| No mess, no spray residue, no fumes | Takes 1 to 2 weeks, not hours |
| Pre-filled and ready to place out of the box | Does not work on carpenter ants or fire ants |
| Clear housing lets you monitor liquid level | Can leak if knocked over |
| 10 stations left from the 12-pack for future use | Large outdoor colonies may need professional follow-up |
The One Thing Most Reviews Get Wrong
Almost every negative TERRO review on Amazon follows the same pattern: the person placed the stations, saw more ants on day two, concluded the product was not working, and sprayed everything. That spray broke the pheromone trail, the bait stopped being distributed, and the colony survived. Then they left a one-star review.
The surge in activity on day one or two is the product working. Those ants are feeding and returning to the nest. If you can wait through those 48 hours without spraying, the decline that follows is significant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there more ants after I placed the bait?
Workers are recruiting others to the food source. Activity peaks within 24 to 48 hours and then falls off. Do not spray during this period.
Is borax safe around children and pets?
Borax is significantly less toxic than most contact insecticides. The enclosed station design limits direct access. Still, place stations where small children and pets cannot reach them.
How many stations do I need?
For a localized infestation like mine, two stations were enough. For a whole-home deployment, plan on 4 to 6 stations across active areas. The 12-pack covers a full setup with spares.
How long do the stations last?
30 to 60 days once opened. Replace when the liquid drops below 25 percent. Unopened stations last up to two years.
Final Verdict
SergioReview Rating
★★★★★
4.8 / 5 Strongly Recommended
I had ants pouring out of a power strip and trailing across my wall. Ten days after placing two TERRO T300B stations directly below the entry point, the wall was clear and has stayed clear. The product does exactly what it promises, as long as you understand that the goal is colony elimination and that requires patience through an initial surge in activity.
At $10.96 for 12 stations, this is the most cost-effective indoor ant solution I have tested. I have ten stations left and will keep them on hand for next time.
TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Bait Stations, 12 Count
★★★★★ 4.6 (157,455 reviews) | #1 Best Seller
$10.96
100K+ bought in the past month. Free returns.
Buy on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Affiliate disclosure: SergioReview participates in the Amazon Associates program. Links in this post earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The photo and experience described are my own. I purchased this product and documented the infestation and results firsthand.
