Ortho BugClear Lawn Insect Killer1, Kills Ants, Spiders, Ticks, Fleas, Armyworms and Grubs, Treats up to 16,500 sq. ft., 10 lb.

Why I reached for BugClear

After a spring of ant trails along my patio, mystery chew marks on ornamental leaves, and a telltale patchiness in the turf that hinted at grubs, I wanted a single lawn treatment I could put down quickly and water in. I went with BugClear granules because it promises broad-spectrum control in turf and beds and doesn’t ask me to haul around a pump sprayer. My goals were straightforward: knock down active surface pests near the house, cut off the grub cycle under the lawn, and reduce the steady parade of crawlers that end up on the siding.

What BugClear is designed to do

BugClear is a granular, broadcast insecticide meant for outdoor use on lawns, ornamental plantings, flower beds, listed vegetable plants, and the home perimeter. It targets a long list of pests, notably ants (with the important exceptions of pharaoh, carpenter, and harvester ants), spiders, ticks, fleas, beetles, armyworms, and grubs. The label highlights up to six months of ant control, which is attractive if you don’t want to reapply every few weeks. A 10 lb bag is rated to treat up to 16,500 square feet, which is enough for a quarter-acre lot with room to spare.

Application and setup

This is a “spread-and-water” product. I used a Scotts broadcast spreader set to the bag’s recommended setting and made overlapping passes around the yard, then created a perimeter band about 3 feet wide around the foundation and along fence lines and pathways. The granules flow smoothly; I didn’t have clumping issues and there was minimal dust. As with any granular, watch the wind—light breezes are fine, but gusts will throw off your pattern.

The “water in” step is not optional. I gave the lawn and beds a thorough soaking right after application—enough to move the product off blades and mulch into the thatch and topsoil but not so much that I saw runoff. Plan on 10–15 minutes per zone with a sprinkler, or use a hose to focus on the perimeter. I keep people and pets off the treated area until it’s been watered and has dried, per best practice with outdoor insecticides.

If you’re targeting specific issues, you can tailor the pass. For ant mounds (not the excluded species), I sprinkled a light ring over and around the mounds and watered immediately. For grub control, I focused on the lawn areas with thin turf and animal foraging signs. For armyworms, I treated the full lawn and especially sun-exposed patches where feeding was visible.

Results in my yard

• Surface pests and perimeter control: Within a day of application and watering, ant activity along the patio and at the foundation dropped sharply. Stray spiders and the occasional earwig I often see on the siding virtually disappeared for several weeks. I still saw a few ants reappear near landscape timbers after heavy rain events, but a quick spot treatment took care of those.

• Ant longevity: The label’s “up to six months” for ants is framed by conditions and species, which tracks with my experience. In high-traffic perimeter zones, I had good control for about four months before trails started to reappear. On open lawn and bed edges, control lasted longer.

• Grubs and turf health: The real confirmation came about two to three weeks later. Areas that felt spongy and pulled up easily started to stabilize. I found far fewer C-shaped larvae when I checked sample plugs. I also noticed less mole tunneling as the season went on. BugClear isn’t a mole control, but in my yard, reducing grubs took away a major food source, and the tunneling slowed.

• Armyworms and beetles: A late-summer armyworm flare-up stopped quickly after treatment. On the ornamental side, the ragged chewing on hostas and a young crabapple eased up; new growth was coming in clean a week after I watered the granules into the beds. I avoid broadcasting on open blooms to reduce contact with pollinators and instead target soil and mulch zones.

• Fleas and ticks: In the lawn areas where a dog regularly runs, I saw markedly fewer flea jumps on white-sock tests, and tick drags turned up nothing for several weeks post-application. As always with these pests, I wouldn’t rely solely on a lawn treatment—pair it with pet preventives and property hygiene—but it’s a useful layer.

• Mosquitoes: This is not a mosquito product, and I didn’t see a meaningful change in overall mosquito pressure. If that’s your primary problem, you’ll need to address water sources and consider a product labeled for mosquitos.

Coverage, cost, and convenience

The coverage is generous. At the lightest listed rate, a 10 lb bag covering up to 16,500 square feet means one bag can treat both the turf and perimeter for many average-sized yards. For me, a single bag handled a full-lawn pass plus the foundation band with some left over for spot treatments. Granules store well if you keep the bag sealed and dry. There’s no lingering chemical sheen, and odor was minimal.

From a time standpoint, I spent more minutes watering in than I did spreading, which is a fair trade for consistent results. You will need access to a hose or irrigation; if watering is a constraint, a liquid concentrate might suit you better.

Safety and environmental notes

This is a broad-spectrum insecticide. It kills target pests by contact, but that also means you should be mindful of beneficial insects and pollinators. A few practices helped me use it responsibly:

• Don’t broadcast over flowering plants or open blooms.
• Keep granules on soil, mulch, and turf—not hardscape—and sweep any stray granules back into treated areas before watering.
• Water in promptly to move the active ingredient into the thatch/soil and reduce surface exposure.
• Follow all label directions, especially around edible plants—only treat the vegetables listed on the bag and observe any pre-harvest intervals.

For households with kids or pets, I treat, water thoroughly, and wait for the lawn to dry before letting anyone back on the grass. That’s standard for lawn insecticides and keeps exposure low.

Where it fits—and where it doesn’t

BugClear is a strong fit if you want one product to cover multiple outdoor pests across several zones: turf, ornamental beds, and the home perimeter. It shines for grub suppression, armyworm outbreaks, flea/tick reduction in turf, and general ant control (excluding pharaoh, carpenter, and harvester species). If your main issue is one of the excluded ant types, you’ll be better served by species-specific baits or carpenter ant treatments. If you’re hoping to curb mosquitoes, address water and consider a larvicide; a lawn granule won’t move the needle much.

If you prefer non-synthetic options, consider beneficial nematodes for grubs or targeted traps for beetles. Those can work, but they require tighter timing and are less forgiving. For long, season-spanning grub prevention, a dedicated preventive like chlorantraniliprole applied early can be more set-it-and-forget-it; I use BugClear more as a broad corrective and perimeter maintenance tool.

Pros and cons

Pros
- Broad label: turf, ornamentals, listed vegetables, and home perimeter
- Quick knockdown of surface pests after watering in
- Noticeable improvement in grub pressure and lawn stability
- Generous coverage; easy to apply with a standard Scotts spreader
- Minimal odor and no residue when used as directed

Cons
- Not for pharaoh, carpenter, or harvester ants
- Requires thorough watering to activate
- Broad-spectrum mode can affect beneficials if misapplied
- Won’t address mosquitoes; pair with other measures
- Heavy rains can prompt spot retreatment on high-pressure perimeters

Recommendation

I recommend BugClear for homeowners who need reliable, broad-spectrum control across a lawn and landscape without juggling multiple products. It’s easy to apply, activates cleanly with water, and—most importantly—delivers consistent results on the pests it’s designed for, especially grubs, armyworms, fleas/ticks in turf, and common ant species around foundations. Use it thoughtfully: target soil and perimeter zones, avoid blooms, and follow the label on watering and reentry. If your primary issue is an excluded ant species or mosquitoes, or if you’re committed to a pollinator-first, low-input approach, choose a more specialized strategy. For most mixed-pest lawn scenarios, though, this granule has earned a spot in my seasonal toolkit.