Insecticide Gel Baits

Insecticide baits are one of the most popular formulations used by professionals, especially for use against cockroaches, termites and ant infestations. Insecticide bait gels are also easy to apply, since they often come ready to use. However, there is an art to baiting correctly using gel baits if you want to achieve the desired result.

At Solutions Pest & Lawn we carry a number of different professional grade insecticide gel baits. On this page, we will briefly cover the ins and outs of insecticide bait gels, the benefits of using them and how to apply them properly. You can also shop our top expert recommended bait gels and place them in your online shopping cart.

What is a Gel Bait Insecticide? 

Gel bait formulations are insecticide products that are formed when the active ingredient is mixed with food or an attractant carrier. When the insects eat the bait, they also consume the active ingredient. Aside from gels, baits may also take the form of granules, flowable powders, liquids or solids. Gels can be also be formulated in ready-to-use bait stations. 

Gel baits are applied directly into pest harborages or into refillable bait stations or are placed as ready-to-use bait stations. Most active ingredients used in gel baits are slow-acting so that the insects are not affected immediately by the poison of the active ingredient right away, allowing the insect to carry the bait back to others in the colony or the nest to start what is called the “domino effect”.

This domino effect which pest control experts and DIYers try to ideally achieve results in the total annihilation of the infestation one by one via transfer of the gel bait.

Conditions for Using Gel Baits

Insecticide gel baits are mainly used in the pest control industry for ants and cockroach infestations inside homes and commercial buildings. In fact, insecticides formulated as pastes and gels are now the primary formulations used in to treat for heavy cockroach outbreaks.

They are designed to be injected or placed as either a bead or dot inside small cracks and crevices of building elements where insects tend to hide or travel. Two basic types of tools are used to apply pastes and gels: syringes and bait guns. The bait is forced out of the tip of the device by applying pressure to a plunger or trigger.

Gel baits are the preferred method of eliminating an existing infestation of cockroaches and ants over insecticide sprays and other methods because gels contain ingredients that cockroaches and ants enjoy in the food that they forage for like sugars and protein rather than the repelling poisons of sprays that they won’t even go near to be affected by.

Benefits of Using Gel Baits

Insecticide gel baits come ready to use with no mixing required and are used at low concentrations. There’s very little chance that the applicator will be at risk of exposure to the gel baits poison.

With gel baits, you don’t have to worry about weird smells as insecticide bait gels are almost always odorless and contain no vapors.

Gel baits are also very safe to use because often they are applied in hidden areas like cracks and crevices which minimizes human and pet exposure. Gel baits can easily placed where insects shelter for maximum effectiveness.

Gel baits also have low human toxicity and even if you are worried that a child or pet may get a hold of bait you have applied, there are also bait gels which are placed in protective bait stations to only target the intended pests while keeping your loved ones safe.

Gel baits last for long periods of time. If an insect hasn’t gotten to the bait, when one eventually does come in contact and consume the bait, it will still be lethal to them. They only need to be placed where they are needed and can be removed after control has been achieved.

Most gel baits are slow acting so that the target pest has enough time to ingest the bait and return to the nest to share the bait with others in the colony.

Gel Bait Drawbacks

Gel baits may become contaminated from exposure to other pesticides and cleaning products. They can also be rendered ineffective if spray pesticides are applied in areas where gel bait has been set. You want the target insect to go toward the bait, not be repelled by it because you sprayed an insecticide.

Gel baits can also be compromised when exposed to high temperatures. This can cause gels to be runny and almost liquidy and drip which may not be savory to the target insect.

Finally gel baits can pose a hazard to nontarget species, but this can be minimized by careful placement and the use of tamper-resistant bait stations.

While it is a benefit that gels baits are slow acting, this can cause control of a pest to take longer. Apply gel baits is more time consuming and the application costs tend to be higher compared to other formulations.

Our Recommendations

Apex Cockroach Gel Bait - Apex roach bait gel attracts primarily German cockroaches with 11 different attractants. These attractants not only help avoid bait resistance but also give you a faster roach kill. This unique combination of food attractants is not found in other bait gels. Apex Roach Bait is also made without the eight most common food allergens. This makes it ideal for application in areas of child care, schools, hospitals, food plants and other areas where sensitivity is required.

Ant-Trax Ant Gel - Ant-Trax Ant Gel Bait is a ready to use insecticide gel bait containing imidacloprid that controls a wide variety of ants. Ant-Trax is made by Solutions Pest & Lawn and formulated with the most attractive bait matrix on the market. We have a 100% guarantee that this ant bait used in conjunction with our ant control methods will get rid of all labeled ant infestations. Compare this product to Maxforce Ant Bait or Advion Ant Gel Bait and you can see that Ant-Trax is the best ant bait.

Tools Needed

Gel baits often come in an ready to use package with a syringe so you can easily push bait out of it. Optionally, you can use a gel bait gun for more precise baiting. It's also recommended to have on safety gloves before applying bait.

User Guide

Step 1: Preliminary Sanitation

Start by performing sanitation measures and removing all potential food sources from the area.

Step 2: Begin Applying Bait

Apply pea sized dots according to labeled directions in various location where the target insect activity is common (kitchen, bathroom, cabinets, under sinks etc.)

Step 3: Reapplication and Waiting

Clean bait once it has dried and reapply as necessary. Be patient and wait for a while for insects to observe, take and share the bait.

Key Takeaways

• Insecticide gel baits are an excellent pesticide formulation for addressing indoor insect infestations such as ants and cockroaches.
• Gel bait poison is slow acting so that the insect will take the bait back to the colony and infect the others in the nest, creating a domino effect.
• Apex Cockroach Gel Bait and Ant-Trax Ant Gel are among the top gel baits we sell for cockroach and ant control.