I tried to look this up but couldnt find the answer. I could find the ingredients but how do these barrier sprays work.

Forinstance in the reno home, I spray around the house spectracide barrier spray, Other companies like raid and ortho make similar types.

And its supposed to work for 6 months,

Now i had some ant hills in the back yard(its all drirt i havent seeded it)....so i sprayed it on the ants, and they just scurry around....definatelty not an instant kill like the small raid ant cans. or regular insect spray which works in an instant.

So what is the mechanism of action for these barrier sprays that work for 6 months....is it like an acid that gets on the insects legs when they walk on it and it burns them over time??? I cant figure it out. It is very liquidy, it doesnt look sticky, but on a microscopic level maybe it is.

any ideas???

i was just wondering if i am wasting my money.