The best Ant powders, compared.
Top pick: Zero In Ant Killer Powder – Highest score, on 4.4 from 8,663 reviews, with coverage, a 12-week claim, a puffer and a cat line printed. The pack count and the 450 g weight disagree. Best value: Pestshield 3 x Ant Killer Powder – Highest value score: 450 g stated at about £5.57, with 4.4 from 2,841 reviews, and no printed duration or pet sentence. Updated October 2026.
Ant powder is a ready-to-use insecticidal dust for ants and other crawling insects. You buy it in the UK when black garden ants trail from a nest under paving, or from a lawn, into the kitchen. Councils treat that as a job you can do yourself if the label matches the place. It is not a bait station, and it is not a spray for plants. Tell a suitable pack by the label. It should be a dust for indoor cracks, hard outdoor surfaces such as patios and paths, or both, with a clear line on plants, grass and food. The pet and child sentence belongs to that pack. A duration or a coverage figure counts only when it is printed. Caps that fall off or will not unscrew dump the powder. Pharaoh ants in a warm building need professional baiting. Keep the dust off food and do not breathe it. What to check on the label is in the [ant powder buying guide](/hub/pest-control/ant-powder/sub/ant-powder-buying-guide).
Ant powder is a ready-to-use insecticidal dust for ants and other crawling insects. You buy it in the UK when black garden ants trail from a nest under paving, or from a lawn, into the kitchen.
18 products checked · 48 hrs invested · +17,600 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 5
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where are the ants?
Zero In is the most reviewed powder in this set, at £9.80 with 4.4 from 8,663 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the bullets claim up to 45 m² and up to 12 weeks indoors and outdoors. Reviewers describe a fast drop in ants around a patio table and under decking, and several say there is little smell compared with other products they have used. Some prefer that the powder is not white, and the nozzle can place dust in one spot when the lid actually opens. The same reviews say the lid often will not unscrew, that one buyer cut it off, and that the puffer is awkward until the bottle is flipped. After rain the light brown dust goes clumpy, like clay, and then has to be washed off and redone. The title says a 450 g multi-pack of two while the item weight is 450 g, so the shelf price is not a reliable price per gram. The listing tells you to keep pets, especially cats, away during application. It is the top pick here because of that review count at the shared 4.4, not because the stars are higher than the other four.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants the longest review file, a printed coverage and a 12-week claim, and who will keep cats away while applying it.
Less suitable: A home that needs one agreed fill, or anyone who wanted Nippon's “need not be excluded” sentence.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this Zero In powder be used indoors?
The listing says indoor and outdoor use, with coverage up to 45 m² and control up to 12 weeks. It says the powder kills on contact.
What does the listing say about cats?
Keep pets, especially cats, away from the treatment area during application because of sensitivity to the active ingredients.
Is this one bottle or two?
The title and item type say a pack of two, and the unit count is 2. The item weight is given as 450 g. The listing does not make the total fill consistent.
The Nippon 150 g listing is £4.44 with 4.4 from 3,083 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the title says up to six months, indoor and outdoor use, and kill on contact, including cockroaches, beetles, earwigs, silverfish and woodlice. Reviewers describe a line of powder at a door, window or wall gap that stopped ants crossing, and one application to a nest under patio slabs that the reviewer said cleared the ants within a day. Others say it stopped indoor trails after two different ant baits had already been tried. The listing says children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas, which is not the same as calling the powder non-toxic. Rain washes the dust away, ants come back if it is cleaned off, and one buyer said the ants ignored it completely. The bullets do not mention wasps. The published Nippon 150 g label, HSE No 5499, states 0.488% w/w permethrin; this amazon page does not print that percentage. It is the smaller Nippon tub when you want the six-month claim and a larger review count than the 300 g listing, and a weak match if you need a stated puffer on the amazon page.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A 150 g Nippon tub for a known gap or a nest under slabs, if you will follow HSE No 5499 on the label in the box rather than the amazon bullets alone.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs a printed percentage on the amazon page, a wasp-nest claim, or proof that every trail responds.
Specifications
Common questions
Which insects does the 150 g listing name besides ants?
Cockroaches, beetles, earwigs, silverfish and woodlice. The title also says fast acting and kills on contact, with up to 6 months of control.
Does this listing say it is pet friendly?
It says children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas. It does not say the powder is non-toxic. Permethrin is named without a percentage on the listing.
Does the listing say it kills wasps?
No. The listing asks that question and the bullets do not mention wasps. The stated use is common black ants in and around the home, plus the other crawling insects named above.
The Pestshield three-pack is three 150 g easy-pour bottles of 0.5% w/w permethrin, listed at £5.57 with 4.4 from 2,841 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers use it on a small gap by the front door and on trails they can see, and one buyer who could not find the nest said the trail was gone after two nights. Another dusted the surface of rose pots where ants were nesting and said the ants were then gone. The listing allows indoor use and hard outdoor surfaces, and it does not print a duration, a coverage, or a pet sentence. Rain is the outdoor limit buyers repeat: the powder washes away and has to be put down again, and one buyer said a dry-weather garden job worked only about 40–60% of the time. Loose caps come up often, including bottles that dumped a pile of powder, and one verified buyer said each bottle was only about a third full. In this set it is the best value pick because 450 g is stated across three bottles, which is more stated powder per pound than the single tubs.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A household that wants three bottles for door gaps and hard outdoor surfaces, and will read the label in the box for pets and food.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a printed pet sentence, a stated coverage, or a barrier that survives rain without a repeat.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this Pestshield powder be used indoors?
The listing says it is for indoor use and for hard outdoor surfaces such as patios, paths and driveways. Carpet use is not answered on the listing.
What is in the pack?
Three bottles of 150 g each. The listing states 0.5% w/w permethrin and an item weight of 450 g. It does not state a duration or a coverage area.
Does the listing say it is child-safe?
No. The listing raises that question and the bullets do not answer it. The listing does say the powder can be used on a wasp nest.
Vitax Nippon 300 g is £4.98 with 4.4 from 1,502 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the listing claims up to six months indoors and outdoors, including wasp nests. Reviewers say it kept ants away from the house, reduced woodlice in a house and garage, and stopped ants entering a conservatory, with powder still there after light rain. Repeat buyers mention several years of the same powder, and one compared the amazon.co.uk price with Sainsbury's and said they saved about £4. The listing says children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas. Reviews still describe dust that is easy to breathe, white marks on patios and indoors, and buyers who used a mask and gloves or kept the powder where pets and children were not. For one buyer the inner cap fell out and dumped about a quarter of the bottle. The amazon.co.uk listing does not print a permethrin percentage, and it does not name an applicator. The 300 g fill is the larger Nippon tub here if you want that six-month claim and can live with white residue.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A larger Nippon fill for entry points and outdoor hard surfaces, if the six-month claim is the line you want and you accept white dust.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs 0.5% printed on the amazon page, a named puffer, or a powder reviews describe as invisible.
Specifications
Common questions
How long does the listing say this 300 g powder lasts?
Up to 6 months, for indoor and outdoor use. The bullets also say it destroys wasp nests. The permethrin percentage is not on the listing.
What does the listing say about children and pets?
Children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas. That is the listing bullet. Reviews still describe dust and white marks.
Who makes it?
Vitax Ltd. The model is VTXAKP300G. Item weight is 381 g against a 300 g unit count.
The single PestShield 150 g puffer is the lowest shelf price in this set, at £3.99, listed at 4.4 from 79 amazon.co.uk reviews. Eight review texts sit behind that count, so the star line is a thin sample next to the other packs. Those texts say ants were no longer seen after the powder went down, and one buyer said invaders stopped within 24 hours. The listing is for hard surfaces and entry points, and it says not to use the powder on garden plants, grass or food-contact areas. It tells you to keep it out of reach of children and to read the label, and it does not answer pets. One review says the top fell off when the bottle was turned upside down to puff, which wasted a lot of powder, and a review title says to keep it away from children. Duration and coverage are not stated. It is the cheap single tub when you can accept a short review file and a cap that may come off.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A first tub for cracks and hard entry points, if you will follow the food-contact ban and you do not need a long review file.
Less suitable: Anyone choosing on review volume, or a garden bed, a lawn, or a worktop.
Specifications
Common questions
Where should this 150 g powder not be used?
The listing says not on garden plants, grass or food-contact areas. It is for hard surfaces such as paths, patios and driveways, and for entry points.
How do you apply it?
The listing describes a puffer bottle for a fine dust at cracks, crevices and nest entrances. One review said the top fell off when the bottle was turned upside down.
Does the listing say it is safe around pets?
No. Pets are asked as a question on the listing and not answered. The listing does say to keep the powder out of reach of children and to read the label.
Five amazon.co.uk ant powder listings are scored from the shelf price, the star line, the review count, and what each listing prints. Bait stations in the wider intake were removed before scoring. There is no laboratory test. Every kept listing is 4.4, so the stars do not rank one powder above another. The top pick is the highest score. Best value is the highest value component, and it is not the top pick.
Amazon evidence
50%Stars contribute a fixed slice. Every listing here is 4.4, so that slice is the same. Review volume then separates them, up to a cap of 50. A shared star line is not two different tests.
Listing clarity
20%Points for a printed permethrin percentage, a duration, a pet or child sentence, a named applicator, coverage in square metres, and a ban on plants, grass or food-contact areas. Points come off when the pack count and the item weight contradict each other.
Review outcome
15%A reported drop in visible ants, together with a closure or rain complaint, scores higher when more people have reviewed the listing. A short set of review texts scores lower. This is not a measured kill rate.
Value
15%Stated grams per pound, only where the fill is unambiguous. The highest value score that is not the top pick is the best value. A fill the listing contradicts stays low.
Start with the label, not the star line. Ant powder here is a permethrin dust for crawling insects, not a bait station and not a spray. Confirm the place of use, the pet and child sentence, and a duration only if it is printed. Rain removes an outdoor barrier. Caps that fail dump the dust. Shelf prices in this capture run from about £3.99 to about £9.80, and every kept listing is 4.4. Nothing on this page is a laboratory kill test.
Ant powder, in this category, is a ready-to-use permethrin dust for ants and other crawling insects. It is not a bait station and it is not a garden spray. You buy it in the UK when black garden ants trail from a nest under paving, or in a lawn, into the kitchen. Councils treat garden ants as a job you can do yourself if the label matches the place. Pharaoh ants in a warm building are a different job.
A bait station is a different product. Dusting over a gel you want ants to carry home works against that method. Waltham Forest Council says not to combine powder with gel bait.
Nippon's listings say children and pets need not be excluded. Zero In says keep cats away during application. The Pestshield listings here do not print a pet sentence. Quote only the pack in your hand.
Reviews across this set say rain washes the dust away or turns it clumpy. The barrier has to be put down again. A nest is not gone because one dry evening looked quiet.
Confirm it is a dust. Read where this pack may be used: indoor cracks and crevices, hard outdoor surfaces, or both, and whether plants, grass and food-contact areas are excluded. The Health and Safety Executive limits householders to products intended for the general public, used as the label says. The pet and child sentence is pack-specific. One pair of listings says children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas. Another says keep pets, especially cats, away during application.
Reviews on the powders in this set describe caps that fall off, lids that will not unscrew, and bottles that dump a pile of dust. Check the closure before you treat a wide area. An easy-pour bottle and a puffer are different tools, and some listings name neither. Outdoors, rain is the limit buyers repeat. The dust washes away or goes clumpy, and you put it down again. Do not blame a dry-weather result that was never claimed to survive a downpour.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
Black ants are coming in from paving or a lawn, and you want a dust for a gap or a trail you can see. Nippon Ant Killer Powder 150 g is about £4.44, with 4.4 from 3,083 reviews. Reviewers describe a line at a door or window that stopped ants crossing. The listing says children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas. That is this pack's sentence, not a non-toxic claim. Leave it if you need a puffer named on the amazon page.
The job is a patio, decking or a nest under slabs, and you will put the dust down again after rain. Zero In Ant Killer Powder is about £9.80, with 4.4 from 8,663 reviews. The listing prints up to 45 m² and up to 12 weeks, and it says keep cats away during application. Reviewers describe a fast drop around a patio table. Rain turns the dust clumpy. Leave it if you need one agreed fill weight.
You need the food, water and pet lines on the pack you buy, not a sentence copied from another brand. PestShield Ant Killer Powder 150 g, about £3.99, bans plants, grass and food-contact areas and says keep it out of reach of children. It does not answer pets. The line is 4.4 from 79 reviews, with eight review texts behind that count. If you need “keep cats away”, that sentence is on Zero In, not on this tub. Leave it for a lawn, a planted bed or a worktop.
The top pick is Zero In Ant Killer Powder, at about £9.80. It has the highest score: 4.4 from 8,663 amazon.co.uk reviews, with up to 45 m², up to 12 weeks, a puffer and a cat line printed. Every listing here is 4.4, so the stars do not separate them, and the title disagrees with the 450 g item weight, which keeps the value score low. The best value is Pestshield 3 x Ant Killer Powder, at about £5.57, because 450 g is stated across three bottles of 0.5% w/w permethrin. That listing prints no duration and no pet sentence. None of these scores is a laboratory kill rate.
Zero In Ant Killer Powder
Highest score, on 4.4 from 8,663 reviews, with coverage, a 12-week claim, a puffer and a cat line printed. The pack count and the 450 g weight disagree.
Pestshield 3 x Ant Killer Powder
Highest value score: 450 g stated at about £5.57, with 4.4 from 2,841 reviews, and no printed duration or pet sentence.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these five listings. Last checked 19 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines captured for these five products. We did not run a laboratory test.
