What (mildly) intrigues me are the claims here and elsewhere for the efficiacy of chilli, when dulcibella (#37) points out that most fouling organisms lacks capsaicin receptors. (They are found in some fungi and in mammals - hence the trial of pepper plants as 'hedges' for crops in elephant conservation.) Is it that chilli contains other substances to which fouling organisms are susceptible, or that its proponents are mistaken? I have never seen anyone cite a controlled trial, so must suspect the latter.
