2 replies to this topic

[Kalidas]

Is that title click baity enough?

So I am probably gonna be getting another small colony to restart this hobby again. Now I have an odd question, there is a little mini closet along my stairs where I used to keep my ants. It's the perfect place for them, it's dark, away from people, and even has an outlet for heating pads.

This is also where I keep my fermenting hot peppers, yup I ferment hot peppers to make my own hotsauce. Little known fact about me I have a severe spice addiction, I have a hot sauce as spicy as civilian grade pepper spray... I have problems. So I have been fermenting ghost peppers and Habeneros, the issue is I don't know if you ever fermented before but it gives off a smell, esspecially the garlic.

My question is will this have a negative affect on the ants? Will they go buck wild looking for this smelly stuff? Or will they just ignore it?

Also other sorta related question, can ants eat peppers or hotsauce? Not saying I would feed ants those items just curious actually.

[Mdrogun]

I don't believe capsaicin has any effect on ants, but I do know that it is used to repel not kill certain insects. I'm not sure what the effects would be on the ants if they were exposed long-term to capsaicin. I would be more worried about what kinda gasses and other things your peppers are giving off while they are fermenting. In short, my answer is that I don't really know. It could effect them, it could not. If you have nowhere else to keep them, I would try it out and hopefully we can learn something from you 

[Kalidas]

I don't believe capsaicin has any effect on ants, but I do know that it is used to repel not kill certain insects. I'm not sure what the effects would be on the ants if they were exposed long-term to capsaicin. I would be more worried about what kinda gasses and other things your peppers are giving off while they are fermenting. In short, my answer is that I don't really know. It could effect them, it could not. If you have nowhere else to keep them, I would try it out and hopefully we can learn something from you 

We shall see. Sadly my latest batch of peppers had to be tossed. There was a leak in my air lock and oxygen got in which led to mold growth so I tossed everything