Chiles are a big turnoff for termites.
And the hotter they are, the less they like them. A Texas researcher who laced samples of wood with extra-hot chiles found that the insects took a single chomp, then hurriedly backed off. A new insect repellent is the result of researcher Grady J. Glenn' s work. It taps the power of the ripe habanero pepper, which is 60 times hotter than its cousin, the jalapeno, and 10 times hotter than cayenne. The spicy ingredient is being mixed into caulks, paints, glues and rubber-coating materials, and any creature unfortunate enough to take a nibble gets a sizzling surprise.