Ant killer spray buying guide
Updated: 22 October 2026
An ant killer spray buying guide separates a trigger, an aerosol, and a lacquer before price or stars mean anything. The [Ant spray](/hub/pest-control/ant-spray) comparison holds the table and the prices in GBP. This page does not name a single winner. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk, did not run a laboratory test. Prices are the saved amazon.co.uk listings. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
An ant killer spray buying guide separates a trigger, an aerosol, and a lacquer before price or stars mean anything. The Ant spray comparison holds the table and the prices in GBP.
An ant killer spray buying guide separates a trigger, an aerosol, and a lacquer before price or stars mean anything. The Ant spray comparison holds the table and the prices in GBP. This page does not name a single winner. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk, did not run a laboratory test. Prices are the saved amazon.co.uk listings. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Form | Place on the listing | Active on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Deadfast Deadfast Ant Killer Plus Spray 750 ml | Trigger, 750 ml | Not stated | Lambda-cyhalothrin | 8.4 | about £6.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  Doff Doff Ant & Crawling Insect Killer Spray 1 litre | Trigger, 1 litre | Indoors and outdoors | Not stated | 6.4 | about £6.00 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Dethlac Dethlac Insecticidal Lacquer 250 ml | Lacquer, 250 ml | Indoor and outdoor | Pyrethrins, deltamethrin | 7.2 | about £7.90 | View offer |
On this page
Three kinds of ant spray
A trigger is a pump you do not mix: Doff's 1 litre at £6.00 and Deadfast's 750 ml at £6.00. An aerosol is a pressurised can. Raid's twin pack is two 300 ml cans at £8.30, and the six-pack is six 300 ml cans at £21.09. The six-pack title says indoor use. The twin pack's saved listing does not. A lacquer is a film. Dethlac's 250 ml can at £7.90 names pyrethrins and deltamethrin and claims a barrier through rain, mopping, and foot traffic. A patio trail, a kitchen skirting, and a dried band are different jobs. HSE authorises GB biocides. If the page and the bottle disagree, the bottle wins. Dethlac's maker cites HSE 9708.
What the listing must show
The listing has to say what the insecticide is, where you may use it, and whether residue stays or workers carry it back. Deadfast is the only kept listing that prints lambda-cyhalothrin, a residue for up to 3 months, and a nest line. Place of use is blank. The maker's page describes indoor and outdoor paths. That is not the Amazon field. Doff states indoor hard surfaces, including floors and countertops, and outdoor patios and gardens, and does not name the active, so you read the bottle. Both Raid packs leave the active off the saved listing. Tesco's separate 300 ml page gives cypermethrin 0.092% and imiprothrin 0.092%, indoor only, and a bat warning under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Do not copy that onto a silent card. Dethlac prints the actives and says indoor and outdoor. A pet-safe bullet is not permission to stay in the room. Rank is a sales position, not an authorisation.
Price per litre in this set
Doff is £6.00 for 1 litre, about £6 a litre, with 4.4 from 734 reviews. Deadfast is the same £6.00 for 750 ml, about £8 a litre, with 4.5 from 741 reviews, and the listing adds a named active and a nest sentence. Raid's six-pack is £21.09 for 1.8 litres, about £11.72 a litre, with 4.7 from 795 reviews. The twin pack is £8.30 for 600 ml, about £13.83 a litre, with 4.5 from 845 reviews. Dethlac is £7.90 for 250 ml, about £31.60 a litre, with 4.2 from 5,593 reviews. Match the room first, then the litres. A small can is the right shape for a film and the wrong shape for a litre of patio knockdown.
Who should skip which type
Skip the Raid six-pack outdoors. The title says indoor use. Skip it if you need the active printed before you pay £21.09. It still suits a red can you already use on skirtings and will not take outside. Skip Doff if you will not buy a page that omits the insecticide. Skip Deadfast if you need place of use on the Amazon card, or if you cannot clear a strong smell. Skip Dethlac on soil, grass, and uPVC, and if white marks on frames would bother you. Skip the twin pack on rank alone: no place of use, no active, model number 12345, and a title that reads Intant.
Common questions
Trigger, aerosol, or lacquer for a patio trail?
A patio trail wants a product whose own listing allows outdoor hard surfaces. In this set that is Doff's pump, which names patios and gardens, or Dethlac's lacquer, which says indoor and outdoor. Raid's six-pack title says indoor use, so it is the wrong can for the path.
Why does one £6 bottle name an active and the other does not?
Deadfast's listing prints lambda-cyhalothrin. Doff's saved listing does not print an active at all, although both bottles are £6.00. That silence is a gap in the page, not proof the bottle is empty of insecticide. You read the label on the Doff bottle you receive. The two £6 bottles are not the same purchase.
Is a 250 ml can at £7.90 worse value than a litre at £6?
Per litre, yes. Dethlac works out at about £32 a litre and Doff at about £6. The can is a lacquer with a weatherproof claim, not a litre of pump spray, so the comparison only holds if you needed volume.
Can an indoor Raid six-pack go on the path outside?
No. The title and a bullet say indoor use, and the listing does not describe outdoor use. Ants crossing from the patio into the kitchen are one trail and two places. Treat the outdoor edge only with a listing that says outdoors.
What must be on the label before I trust pet safe?
The label has to say where you may spray, what you must keep off the wet surface, and how long you stay out. Dethlac's bullets say pet safe, and the pet question on that listing is still unanswered. A bullet is not a reason for the cat to stay in the kitchen while the surface is wet.
Does a Best Sellers Rank mean the formula is authorised?
No. Rank is a sales position inside an Amazon category. The twin pack's rank 5 in Ant Control does not authorise the formula and does not measure how many ants in a nest die. Authorisation sits with HSE under GB biocidal rules.
Related pages
Sources
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.
- HSE biocidal labelling (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE home and garden pesticides (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BPCA ant identification (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BPCA ant control advice (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Deadfast Ant Killer Plus Spray (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Dethlac aerosol (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Tesco Raid Ant and Cockroach Killer 300 ml (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Waltham Forest garden ant fact sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)