Six Feet Under vs. Raid Ant & Roach Killer: A Natural Alternative to Raid That Actually Kills Bugs

By Harrison Lowell, Guest Author

You're standing in the kitchen with a can of Raid in one hand, watching a trail of ants march across the counter you just wiped down for your toddler's snack and thinking, there has to be something that isn't this.

You're not wrong to wonder. And you're not wrong that most of what claims to be "natural" doesn't actually kill anything. It just makes your kitchen smell like a candle while the ants keep coming.

So here's the honest, ingredient-by-ingredient comparison: what's actually in the can of Raid you've probably got under your sink right now vs. what's in Dr. Killigan's Six Feet Under instead,and where each one genuinely wins—because pretending one is perfect would make this whole article useless to you.

The short version: if you want something you can spray on a counter your kids eat off of or a floor your dog naps on and not think twice, Six Feet Under is built for that. If you want the cheapest possible ant killer and don't mind a synthetic pesticide residue, Raid is built for that. Most households switching to Six Feet Under aren't doing it because Raid "doesn't work". They're doing it because they found something that works and doesn't require reading a caution label before they let their kid back in the kitchen.

At a glance

	Six Feet Under (Dr. Killigan's)	Raid Ant & Roach Killer
Price	$24.97 / 24 oz ($1.04/oz)	$5.59 / 17.5 oz ($0.32/oz)
Active ingredients	Plant-derived essential oils	Cypermethrin + Imiprothrin (synthetic pyrethroids)
How it kills	Contact kill, mechanical/oil-based	Contact kill + short residual
EPA pesticide registration	Not required (no synthetic pesticide)	Required (registered synthetic insecticide)
Label caution for kids/pets	None; safe to use around family & pets	Ventilate area; keep kids & pets away until spray dries
Biodegradable	Yes	No
Rating	4.7★	4.36★

What's actually in the can of Raid

Raid Ant & Roach Killer's active ingredients are cypermethrin and imiprothrin. Both are synthetic pyrethroids, a class of manufactured insecticides. They work by overloading an insect's nervous system on contact, which is exactly why they kill fast and why the label tells you to ventilate the room, keep pets away and let the spray fully dry before kids or animals go back through the area. That's not a knock on Raid. It's an EPA-registered pesticide and the label instructions exist because the product is doing real chemical work. It's just worth knowing what "real chemical work" means before you spray it three feet from where your family eats.

What's actually in Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under's active ingredients are plant-derived essential oils. They're the same category of ingredient used in food flavoring and aromatherapy, just concentrated and blended specifically to kill on contact. It's biodegradable, doesn't carry an EPA pesticide registration (because it isn't a synthetic pesticide) and there's no "keep kids and pets away" instruction on the label because there's nothing on it that requires one. It's formulated to kill ants, roaches, fleas, silverfish, and moths on contact, which is the same everyday-pest list you'd reach for Raid to handle.

The mechanism is different, too, and it's worth understanding. Six Feet Under works through mechanical kill: the essential-oil actives break down an insect's waxy outer shell, which causes it to dehydrate and die. That's a physical mode of death, not a nerve-toxin one—and insects can't evolve genetic resistance to it the way they can to a chemical they're repeatedly exposed to. Raid's actives, cypermethrin and imiprothrin, work the other way: they overload the insect's nervous system.  In addition, cypermethrin specifically carries an EPA "Group C, possible human carcinogen" classification, based on limited evidence from a single mouse study. Too, pest species like cockroaches have also developed documented, published resistance to pyrethroid actives such as cypermethrin over time, which is part of why chemical pesticide makers periodically rotate in new active ingredients rather than relying on one formula indefinitely. A mechanical kill doesn't have that problem: you can't out-evolve dehydration.

The honest trade-off

Here's the part most "natural vs. toxic" comparisons skip, and it's the part that actually matters if you want this to work the first time you use it: essential-oil sprays need direct contact to kill and synthetic pyrethroids leave a longer-lasting residue that keeps killing bugs that walk through the treated area later. That's the real trade — not "natural doesn't work," but "natural asks you to spray the bug or its path, not the whole baseboard once a year and forget about it."

In practice that means: spray directly on the ant trail or the bug itself and reapply if you see new activity—the same way you'd use any contact spray, natural or not. What you get in exchange is not needing to keep kids and pets out of the kitchen for a stretch of time and not building up a synthetic chemical residue in the room where your family actually lives.

Price, honestly

Raid is cheaper per ounce, about a third of the cost. If price-per-ounce is the only variable that matters to you, this page isn't going to talk you out of that math. What it will say is that most people who switch aren't switching for a better deal. They're switching because they'd rather pay more per ounce than have a synthetic pesticide label instruction dictating when their kid can walk back into the kitchen.

The switch households are already making

If there's a can of Raid under your sink right now, you're in good company. It's one of the most recognized names in pest control, and it's been the default for decades because it's genuinely effective and genuinely everywhere. That's exactly why so many households don't "discover" Six Feet Under so much as replace what they already had with something that does the same job without the same trade-offs. It's not a new category you have to learn. It's the same bottle-under-the-sink habit you already have, just with a formula you don't have to think twice about when your kid or your dog is standing three feet away.

FAQ

Are there any non-toxic bug sprays that actually work as well as the regular stuff?

Yes, if you use them the way they're designed to be used — sprayed directly on the pest or its path rather than as a one-time residual barrier. Essential-oil-based sprays like Six Feet Under kill on contact the same way synthetic sprays do; the difference is in reapplication, not raw killing power.

Is Six Feet Under safe to use in the kitchen or around food?

Yes, because it doesn't carry a synthetic pesticide, there's no required wait time or ventilation step before you're back in the room.

Will it work on roaches, not just ants?

Yes, it's formulated for ants, roaches, fleas, silverfish, and moths on contact.

Why is it more expensive than Raid?

Plant-derived essential oil actives cost more to source and formulate than synthetic pyrethroids and it's made without the cheaper petrochemical inputs that keep conventional sprays inexpensive. Most people switching see that as the cost of not having a pesticide label dictating their kitchen.

Is Six Feet Under strong enough for a real infestation, not just a few bugs?

For an active, spreading infestation, treat it the way you would any contact spray. Apply directly and reapply as needed rather than spraying once and expecting a long residual barrier. For an ongoing perimeter/whole-home approach, pair it with Six Feet Under Barricade.

Bottom line

If the ants on your counter are the problem, both products will kill them. The question this article can actually answer for you is which trade-off you'd rather make: pay less and spray a synthetic pesticide where your family eats or pay more and spray something you never have to think twice about. Six Feet Under exists for the second answer.

Related reading

• Is There a Non-Toxic Wasp Spray That Works as Fast as Raid?
• Dr. Killigan's vs. Pestie: Which Whole-Home Barrier Actually Lasts 90 Days?
• Dust to Dust vs. Diatomaceous Earth and Spray Insecticides: Which Kills Longer?
• Pyrethrin vs. permethrin: What’s the difference?