The Ant Solution

Did I ever tell you all that we started getting ants in our kitchen in the spring? I was reminded of this just recently when I read Ellie's...er..."solution" to them on The Lying Cookbook. I started noticing an ant here, an ant there...usually just a few a day. Our counter top is black, so I would hardly even notice one until I went to reach for something and the ant would move. And there seemed to be no consistency in the ants...some were tiny, some were huge. All of them disgusted me and had no right to be in my kitchen, a place I love and hold so dear.

The solution? CAYENNE PEPPER!

My sister had told me once that cayenne pepper kept animals out of your potted plants if you sprinkle a little around the edges. I thought to myself, I wonder if it does the same for ants? It was worth a try, after all. I know there are ant sprays or different poisons you can put in your house for the ant to eat and take back to the other ants...but that still involves them coming into the house first, and I don't like that.

I wasn't exactly sure where the ants were coming from because I would see them anywhere in the kitchen, not just by one window or area. So I bought some cayenne pepper and sprinkled a solid line of it across the crack of the windows between the window and the window sill on the inside so that you can't even see it without looking down the crack. I did this to every window on the first floor.

The result? NO MORE ANTS! NOT ONE! I literally never saw another ant in the house after that day. I was completely shocked at the results. Everyone deserves to know about this miracle solution! I'm not sure if it's the spicy smell they don't like, or if they just see the line as a barrier they can't cross, but either way, it works! And the best part is that I realized my spice cabinet was really lacking without cayenne pepper and I use it all the time in my cooking now! I try not to think about ants when I use it.

Now, if I could only find a spice to get rid of those little spiders that make their webs in the corners of the house, or those camel crickets in the garage...