What instantly kills ants?

What instantly kills ants on direct contact includes several household products and commercial sprays, but instant kill of visible foragers alone does not eliminate the colony and can make infestations worse if used without baits. For instant contact kill, commercial ant killer sprays containing pyrethroids like bifenthrin, permethrin, or deltamethrin kill ants within seconds to minutes when sprayed directly, as do many all-purpose cleaners containing ammonia. Household products that kill instantly include soapy water made from one tablespoon Dawn dish soap and one quart water sprayed directly on ants, which breaks down their waxy outer coating and suffocates them within seconds, 91 percent isopropyl alcohol sprayed directly which dissolves their exoskeleton and kills within seconds but evaporates quickly, white vinegar undiluted sprayed directly which can kill some on contact due to acidity, and Windex or glass cleaners due to ammonia. Boiling water poured directly on an outdoor ant mound can kill hundreds instantly, though it rarely reaches the queen deep underground. However, pest control professionals warn that instant kill methods are not effective for long-term control of odorous house ants and carpenter ants, because colonies contain thousands of workers and a queen hidden in walls or outdoors, and killing only foragers does not stop new ants from following pheromone trails to food, and repellent sprays can cause budding where colonies split into satellite colonies elsewhere. Best approach is to use soapy water to wipe trails and slow-acting gel baits.