Ants are attracted to food, moisture, and warmth. You can keep them out by sealing any cracks or crevices around your home as well as keeping food covered while cooking outdoors. If they do manage to get inside your home then you need to find out where they are coming in from since this will help prevent future invasions in other areas of your house as well.
Cayenne pepper is a spice that can be used to kill ants. It is known to have a spicy taste and is often used in cooking. Some people eat it raw or add it to food for flavor, but it can also be used as an insecticide. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper causes the ants to stop moving and die from dehydration.
The idea that cayenne pepper can kill ants is a controversial one, but it’s worth noting that it’s not entirely without merit. There are several reasons why this might be true. First, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which is a chemical compound that has been shown to kill insects by causing them to suffocate. It does this by disrupting their ability to breathe and pump blood throughout their bodies.
Second, there are other chemicals in cayenne pepper that could also be harmful to ants if ingested in large quantities. For example, capsaicin can cause stomach ulcers and hemorrhaging in humans—so if an ant were to eat a lot of cayenne pepper, it could potentially experience these symptoms as well.
Cayenne pepper does kill ants. It does this by causing the ant to dry up and die. Ants have an exoskeleton, which is a hard outer shell that protects their soft inner body. The cayenne pepper causes the ant’s exoskeleton to dry out and break open, allowing its insides to seep out through the cracks in the shell.
So, if you want to use cayenne pepper to kill ants, you should sprinkle it on their path regularly. You’ll need to use enough that it covers their entire path for at least 24 hours, though—otherwise they’ll just avoid it and move around it instead of over it (and they’ll eventually find their way back onto your counter or floor).
Do Ants Eat Cayenne Pepper?
Ants do not eat cayenne pepper. Ants are attracted to the smell of cayenne, but they do not eat it. Ants are more interested in eating honeydew, a sugary substance that can be produced by aphids and other insects. The ants take this substance back to their colony and feed it to their larvae. When they find honeydew on plants, they collect it and carry it home in their mandibles (a mouth part).
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which makes it spicy. Capsaicin is a chemical that mammals cannot taste but insects can sense with their antennae. It causes an irritation that makes insects want to leave the area quickly.
How Long Does It Take Cayenne Pepper to Kill Ants?
The amount of time it takes for cayenne pepper to kill ants depends on many factors: how much of the spice you use, how much of the ant’s body is exposed to the spice, whether or not there are other food sources available for the ant (which could distract them from eating), and whether or not any other predators are present in your area that might eat the ants before they can die from eating too much cayenne pepper.
In general terms, though, it’s safe to say that if you sprinkle enough cayenne pepper around areas where ants are living or traveling through regularly (such as near cracks in walls), then within a few days most of those ants will have died from ingesting too much capsaicin.
How Do You Use Cayenne Pepper to Get Rid of Ants?
Cayenne pepper is a great way to get rid of ants. It works because ants can’t stand the spiciness and will leave your house as soon as they smell it.
Step 1: Make a paste out of cayenne pepper, water, and sugar in a small bowl.
Step 2: Place the paste in the areas where you see ants coming into your home. Let it dry completely before removing it.
Step 3: Repeat this process until all of the ants are gone and they no longer return to your house. You should keep in mind that some people have allergic reactions to cayenne pepper, so be careful when using this method if anyone in your household has allergies or asthma.
List of Ant Repellent and Where to Buy
There are a few different types of ant repellent you can use to get rid of ants in your home. Some of these include:

TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Killer, 12 Bait Stations
Price : $11.92
Features :
- Attracts & Kills – Kills common household ants including acrobat, crazy, ghost, little black, odorous house, pavement, and other sweet-eating ants
- Kills the Ants You See & the Ones You Don’t – As worker ants discover the bait, they share it with the rest of the colony to eliminate them all
- Works Fast – You should see a significant decrease in the number of ants visiting the bait stations within just a few days
- Ready to Use – Place the bait stations, watch it attract ants, and eliminate the entire colony
- Use Throughout Your Home – Place stations near areas where you’ve seen ant activity including along baseboards, in corners, on counters, and more
Additional Info :
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 4.5 Inches |
Width | 6.6 Inches |
Length | 1.2 Inches |
Weight | 0.27 Pounds |

TERRO T800 Garbage Guard Trash Can Insect Killer – Kills Flies, Maggots, Roaches, Beetles, and Other Insects
Price : $7.98
Features :
- Eliminate & Prevent – The deeply penetrating vapor fills enclosed spaces to kill visible and hiding insects and prevent new infestations
- No More Maggots – Garbage Guard is effective against a variety of flying and crawling insects that are commonly found in trash cans
- Lasts up to 4 Months – Controlled release technology slowly diffuses the vapor to offer insect protection all summer long
- Easy to Use – Simply remove the adhesive backing, attach the pod to the inside of your trash can, close the lid and let the vapor do its work
- For Outdoors / Garages – These pods are designed for use in outdoor and garage trash cans, dumpsters, and trash bins
Additional Info :
Color | Black |
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 0.5 Inches |
Width | 1.73 Inches |
Length | 2.68 Inches |
Weight | 0.06 Pounds |

McCormick Ground Cayenne Red Pepper, 14 oz
Price : $5.29 ($0.38 / Ounce)
Features :
- Starts with whole, ripe peppers
- Dried and milled under strict quality controls
- Zesty heat, vivid red color and balanced flavor
- Adds heat to guacamole, salsa, tacos, chili and gumbo
- Turns up the heat in cuisines around the world
Additional Info :
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 8 Inches |
Width | 3.75 Inches |
Length | 2.65 Inches |
Weight | 1.029 Pounds |

Safer Brand 51703 OMRI Listed Diatomaceous Earth – Ant, Roach, Bedbug, Flea, Silverfish, Earwig, & Crawling Insect Killer
Price : $9.47 ($0.14 / Ounce)
Features :
- Say Goodbye to Bugs – Kills a variety crawling insects including roaches, ants, fleas, silverfish, earwigs, bedbugs, and more
- Attracts and Kills – Made from diatomaceous earth and selected baits, this powder causes insects to dehydrate and die within 48 hours after contact
- Mechanical Killer – Unlike many traditional chemical insecticides, insects cannot build an immunity to diatomaceous earth
- Use Where Insects Hide – DE can be used indoors or outdoors. Apply in cracks and crevices, along baseboards, or create a barrier around entry points
- Peace of Mind – This powder is OMRI Listed and compliant for use in organic gardening so you can use it without worry
Additional Info :
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 4.2 Inches |
Width | 10.8 Inches |
Length | 15.6 Inches |
Weight | 4.2 Pounds |

Combat Roach Killing Bait, Large Roach Bait Station, Kills the Nest, Child-Resistant, 8 Count
Price : $8.75
Features :
- Get rid of cockroach problems at the source with this specially Designed Large roach bait product containing Hydramethylnon
- Easy to use, no mess baits do Not require activation
- Simply place them wherever you see or have seen roaches and relax while they kill non sTop day and night
- Best used in areas like under sinks, behind toilets, and behind appliances, killing the ones you see and the ones you don’t and destroys the nest
- Eight child resistant bait stations are Included
- Power Source Type: Combat Roach Killing Bait, Large Roach Bait Station, 8 Count
Additional Info :
Color | Large 8 ct |
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 7.1 Inches |
Width | 7.1 Inches |
Length | 1.5 Inches |
Weight | 0.01 Pounds |
In Conclusion
While it is true that cayenne pepper can kill ants, it is not the best option for this purpose. While cayenne pepper does kill ants, it also kills many other insects, including beneficial ones like bees and ladybugs. In addition, the smell of cayenne pepper can be unpleasant for humans to live with.
It’s important to note that if you want to kill ants with cayenne pepper, you’ll need to use a lot of it—and be sure to use food-grade cayenne pepper (not the kind you put in your chili) since some brands contain dangerous chemicals. If you do want to use cayenne pepper as an ant killer in your home, we recommend using a product like Ant-Away or Ant No More instead.