The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Propoxur
- Chemical class
- A carbamate insecticide. Like other carbamates it inhibits cholinesterase and disrupts nervous system function; the bait label's note to physicians calls it a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor.[4][1]
- Mode of action
- IRAC Group 1A: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: carbamates[5]
- Signal word
- Grant's Kills Ants Ant Control with Baygon: Caution[1]
Why propoxur pet collars were canceled
In the fall of 2013 EPA finished a risk assessment of propoxur pet collars, prompted by a Natural Resources Defense Council petition to cancel them, and found risks of concern to children exposed to the collars. In 2014 Sergeant's Pet Care Products and Wellmark International agreed to stop producing the collars by April 1, 2015 and not to distribute them after April 1, 2016; after that, others could generally sell and use existing stocks until they ran out.[2]
The canceled registrations included Sergeant's Sendran and Dual Action collars and Wellmark's propoxur collars for dogs and cats, some of which also contained MGK 264, phenothrin, pyriproxyfen or S-methoprene. EPA's list gives each product's EPA registration number, which is printed on the package.[2]
EPA says children and infants are especially at risk of exposure to collar residues because they play on the floor and put their hands in their mouths, and residue on a pet's fur can rub off on anyone who holds or pets the animal. For a collar still in use, it advises following the label, washing your hands after handling the collar, not letting children play with it, and keeping the pet away from young children for a day after putting a collar on.[2]
EPA's 2015 order on indoor uses
In September 2015 EPA issued an order, requested by the registrant, ending indoor aerosol, spray and liquid formulations, use in food handling establishments and indoor crack-and-crevice use on the registrations for propoxur technical insecticide, the 70% propoxur concentrate and Pyrocide Intermediate 7045, a propoxur, MGK 264, piperonyl butoxide and pyrethrins blend.[3]
The Grant's ant bait label, stamped in January 2024, still includes directions for indoor stations under sinks, on counters, behind appliances and along ant trails.[1]
Where it is used
Each station holds a bait that attracts scout ants looking for food for their colony. They carry it home to share, and once the queen and other ants eat it, the label says, the colony is destroyed.[1]
The label has separate directions for packages marketed for outdoor use (stations around the outside of the house, 6 to 8 feet apart) and for indoor use (under sinks, on counters, behind appliances and along ant trails), so follow the version on your package.[1]
Some ants die within hours, but a large colony may take a week or longer. The stations work until the ants have carried off all the bait and are replaced every 3 to 6 months for continuing protection.[1]
EXTOXNET's 1996 profile describes propoxur as used on chewing and sucking insects, ants, cockroaches, crickets, flies and mosquitoes, both in agriculture and, as Baygon, in non-agricultural settings such as private or public facilities and grounds. It reports field half-lives in soil of 14 to 50 days.[4]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant's Kills Ants Ant Control with Baygon[1] | Grant Laboratories, Inc. | 1663-32 | 0.25% | ant bait stations (stakes) | Caution |
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant's Kills Ants Ant Control with Baygon | Outdoors around the home | Grease-eating and sweet-eating house ants (not carpenter, fire, harvester or pharaoh ants) | 6–8 ft between stations per on all sides of the house[1] Also put one at each side of every outside door and at every corner; replace every 3 to 6 months, or sooner if empty. |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- This is a CAUTION-signal product: harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through skin, and moderately irritating to the eyes. Avoid getting the bait in your eyes, on your skin or on your clothing.[1]
- Wash your hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet. Take off contaminated clothing and wash it before wearing it again.[1]
2. Before you spray
- Use it only for grease-eating and sweet-eating house ants. The label excludes carpenter, fire, harvester and pharaoh ants.[1]
- Choose spots that children, pets and other non-target animals can't reach. Don't use the stations in vegetable gardens or around electrical equipment, don't let them contaminate food or feed, and don't use the product as a landscape treatment on lawns or garden plants.[1]
- Keep people and pets out of the area while you set the stations out, and never place them where the bait could contact a person or pet, directly or indirectly.[1]
3. Mixing
- There's nothing to mix. The stations come ready to use, with a pre-cut hole that lets ants reach the bait.[1]
4. Applying
- Outdoors, with a package marketed for outdoor use: put stations where you see ants, near cracks, crevices and other places around the outside of the house where ants can get in. Surround the house with stations 6 to 8 feet apart on all sides, and put one at each side of every outside door and at every corner. Larger homes or buildings may need more than one package.[1]
- Indoors, with a package marketed for indoor use: set stations hole side up under sinks, on counters, behind appliances and along ant trails. If the package comes with adhesive strips, you can use them to hold stations in place; test the adhesive somewhere inconspicuous first, and don't use it on wallpaper or painted surfaces.[1]
5. After you spray
- The bait starts working right away. Some ants die within hours, but larger colonies may take a week or longer. They keep working until the ants have taken away all the bait.[1]
- For continuing protection against ants, replace the stations every 3 to 6 months, or sooner if they're empty.[1]
First aid
- If swallowed, call a poison control center or doctor immediately for treatment advice. Have the person sip a glass of water if able to swallow, don't induce vomiting unless told to by the poison control center or doctor, and give nothing by mouth to an unconscious person.[1]
- On skin or clothing, take off contaminated clothing and rinse the skin right away with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes. In the eyes, hold the eye open and rinse slowly and gently for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after the first 5 minutes. Then call a poison control center or doctor, with the container or label at hand. The label's note to physicians says propoxur is a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor and that atropine sulfate is antidotal, given only if symptoms appear.[1]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store the stations only in their original container, in a dry place children and pets can't get to.[1]
- Don't reuse or refill an empty package: put it in the trash or offer it for recycling. For a partly used package, call your local solid waste agency for disposal instructions, and never put unused product down any indoor or outdoor drain.[1]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Signal word CAUTION: the bait label says the product is harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through skin and causes moderate eye irritation. EXTOXNET's 1996 profile rates propoxur itself highly toxic by mouth (oral LD50 of about 100 mg/kg in rats and mice) but only slightly toxic through the skin. EPA lists nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, sweating, diarrhea, excessive salivation, weakness, imbalance, blurred vision, breathing difficulty, increased blood pressure and loss of bladder or bowel control as possible symptoms of excessive exposure.[1][4][2]
Pets
Place stations only where children, pets and other non-target animals can't reach them; the label warns that birds and small mammals feeding on treated bait may be killed. EXTOXNET calls propoxur very highly to highly toxic to many bird species, though toxicity varies by species, and says signs of poisoning can appear within 5 minutes in some birds.[1][4]
Bees and pollinators
EXTOXNET's 1996 profile says propoxur is highly toxic to honey bees. The bait label has no bee statement, but it says not to use the product as a landscape treatment on lawns or garden plants.[4][1]
Fish and water
The label says the product is toxic to wildlife and aquatic invertebrates and not to apply it directly to water or contaminate water when disposing of wastes. EXTOXNET rates propoxur moderately to slightly toxic to fish, not expected to build up much in aquatic organisms, and with a high potential to reach groundwater, because it is highly soluble in water, moderately persistent and doesn't bind strongly to soil.[1][4]
Common questions
- Will propoxur ant stations kill carpenter ants or fire ants?
- No. The label covers grease-eating and sweet-eating house ants and excludes carpenter, fire, harvester and pharaoh ants.[1]
- How far apart should I put the stations outside?
- Six to eight feet apart on all sides of the house, plus one at each side of every outside door and at every corner. Larger homes or buildings may need more than one package.[1]
- What should I do if a child eats some of the bait?
- Call a poison control center or doctor immediately for treatment advice. The label says to have the person sip a glass of water if able to swallow and not to induce vomiting unless the poison control center or doctor says to.[1]
- Are propoxur flea collars still around?
- Their makers agreed with EPA in 2014 to stop producing them and couldn't distribute them after April 1, 2016, though others could generally keep selling existing stock until it ran out. If you still have one, check the package for its EPA registration number against EPA's list, follow the label, and keep the pet away from young children for a day after putting it on.[2]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Grant's Kills Ants Ant Control with Baygon label, EPA Reg. No. 1663-32 (EPA-stamped, Jan. 12, 2024).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/001663-00032-20240112.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- U.S. EPA, “Companies Agree to Stop Selling Pet Collars Containing Pesticide to Protect Children (propoxur pet collars; last updated November 2, 2026).” www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/companies-agree-stop-selling-pet-collars-containing-pesticide-protect-children (accessed 2026-11-08)
- U.S. EPA (Federal Register), “Product Cancellation Order and/or Amendments To Terminate Uses for Certain Pesticide Registrations (80 FR 57179, September 22, 2015; EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0296).” www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-09-22/pdf/2015-24058.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- Extension Toxicology Network (Oregon State University and partner universities), “EXTOXNET Pesticide Information Profile: Propoxur (last revised 1996).” extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/propoxur.htm (accessed 2026-11-08)
- Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, “IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme, Version 11.5 (Feb. 2026).” irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/ (accessed 2026-11-08)