Yeah it has been quite a battle @fmbs25, and guess what, the cochineals (or mealy bugs) actually teams up with black ants colony; therefore if I see a rampant black ants movement around a certain pot, the first thing I will go check if there are any infections.
I saw at youtube there's a way to ward off ants, and I think vinegar mixed with water is one of them @fmbs25 , maybe you can give that a try and see if it works for your chili plants?
I am planting capsicums now, and hopefully they will reach flowering stage. I just trimmed their heads off a few days ago.
I'll try the vinegar, I hope it works, because the truth is that everything I've tried hasn't worked! Good luck with your peppers!
Oh have you tried spotting where the source of the ant colony is?