In the front entrance of my home, I am having a problem with little ants getting in and crawling around. I read online that you can sprinkle a layer of cayenne pepper on the outside of the door or window and the ants will stop coming into The House. I sprinkled some pepper outside of my front door last night and it appears as though no more ants have come in. I also noticed that a small spider went running for cover as I layed out the pepper, but I am not sure if it was because of the pepper, or if I scared the spider away with just my presense. Have any of you tried this before, and did it work?
I have heard of using Cayenne Pepper for a variety of pest control issues, but I've never had any luck with it. We had some small ants one year, but this didn't work for me. I ended up trying baking soda instead, which worked great and was fast as well. I wonder if it has anything to do with the type of ant it is you're dealing with. Maybe Cayenne works on some but not others? I'm not sure. I'm glad it worked for you though, as those little suckers are annoying. I'll probably just stick with baking soda, if I end up needing it again. Either one is better than using a bunch of nasty poison in or around your home, right?
For the past year I've had success simply sprinkling red pepper flakes around the plants and sometimes on the leaves as well. I've noticed MUCH less interest in my plantings than before.
Good tip on the baking soda. If my ants return to infest the house, I will give baking soda a try as well. Perhaps I will try a mixture of the baking soda and pepper and give them a double dose of...go away!
thanks for the tip, I will definitely try it if I see those pesky buggers trying to get close to my house! At this time of year, every year, ant mounds pop up everywhere by us, so it's inevitable that some will try to make their way inside. I hadn't heard about using cayenne pepper before but it's good to hear it helps around plants too. I've used vinegar in the past as a deterrent, but never wanted to spray it on my plants. I've only used it to keep the ants out of the house.
It's never worked for me. Nor has powdered garlic. The only thing that works - as far as ants go - is to not leave food around in the house for them to find. Even a tiny drop of oilve oil will attract a swarm of ants. They leave a trail that the other ants follow, so when I see scouts, I eliminate them. Outside I try and get rid of the mounds. You never really eliminate them, just deter or reduce the number temporarily.
