Originally published at: Ants hate this drop of chili sauce, so they cover it with pebbles | Boing Boing
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The “ant” season up here has kicked off with a vengeance, hot sauce you say, nope, you need a flame thrower.
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Clearly need more “can this critter sense capsaicin” experiments. The theory (likely correct) of the evolution of plants including this ‘hot’ chemical in their pods goes, (way too teleologically): plants ‘want’ to distribute their seeds far and wide and birds don’t chew-up the seeds (no teeth) so the seeds pass viably. But wait those damn mammals digest the seeds! So need to target them but not birds. Birds don’t sense capsaicin whereas mammals do, so that was what the long term evolutionary dice roll optimized upon. (just ironic that masochistic humans love the stuff)
But from this, we learn that ants can sense it too?
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Pretty sure I saw the corpse of a roly-poly piled on there, too. Macabre, but a good example of “use what you have.” 
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For once, I agree with the ants.
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It happens to work out…humans have done a great job spreading peppers in other ways. That said, you are definitely right that there is more to the story than mammals and birds. Capsaicin has been noted as being active against some bacteria and fungi, including some that infect fruit.
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Ants hate this one weird trick.
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I have often mixed hot pepper powder into our bird seed to discourage the rats. Some companies even sell pepper-coated bird seed.
I once lost an entire freshly baked cake to Suthun Coliforniyahn ants. Like an idiot, I put the cake keeper on a windowsill, and my BF and I left for a bit. When we came back, I grabbed the cake, opened the keeper, and almost cried. Those little bastards were all over it.
We never got even one slice!
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at 1:13, yep!
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Either way you just end up with Fire Ants.
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You must have been in Orange County. I once got some Christmas treats from my lovely freshmen students before winter break. The school is in Orange County, CA, and the entire county is one enormous anthill. I lost every morsel to those mother*#$@ers. I was so not happy.
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I lived in San Bernardino (Ontario and Upland) and Los Angeles (Pomona) counties. The ants-caek debacle happened in Ontario.
I have briefly visited Orange county, and I believe you.
I’m so sorry our bonding moment is over such sad losses.
Little six-legged fuckers!
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Chili Drop: “Jehovah! Jehovah!”
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Ant 1: “Will someone hand me a frickin’ roly-poly, for Pete’s sake!”
Ant 2: “One ro-po c’mon right up!”
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What is this place?
There’s nothing now, but will someday be a great school.
Grogu will be its first student.
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Do you want Phase IV?
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