Spectracide Ant Shield Outdoor Killing Stakes kill the queen and destroy the colony. These child-resistant and weather-resistant bait stations start killing in hours – ants enter the bait station and eat the bait then return to the colony to kill others. The colony stops reproducing and begins to die preventing ants from the colony from infesting your home. This powerful and long-lasting bait lasts up to 3 months to keep ants from coming back. Place one bait stake into the ground along each ant trail around the outside of your home. Place stakes in areas inaccessible to children pets and other non-target animals. Larger homes or homes with heavy infestations may require 2 or more bait stakes to achieve control. For continued outdoor control replace baits every 3 months or sooner if infestation is heavy. Carton contains 6 stakes.