I am sure you have seen ants come and go into your PC. But Can ants damage PCs? This is a question many have in their minds. I will answer that question with other important facts you must know about ants and their behavior.
Can ants damage PCs?
Ants can damage your PCs particularly when they electrocute inside the computers. However, there will not be any impact if they do not get electrocuted inside the laptops.
Consider that if they get electrocuted inside the battery, then it will be even worse as it could damage the battery. Consequently, you will not be able to switch on the computer simply because the battery cannot provide the power supply for the PCS.
Consider that the ants reach inside the hard disks and electrocute, then it will make the hard disk malfunction as it will damage the internal circuitry.
Ants can also damage the motherboard and the processor as it will damage the electric circuits such as capacitors and the transformers in the mother boards. Consequently, the entire internal circuit function will be disrupted by this. Chances are that the entire computer will not start up due to these electrical failures. Consider that the ants crawl on the keyboard and electrocute, then it will disable the functioning of the keyboards.
You won’t be able to work with the keys and make the entire function of the computers ruin.
On the other hand, if the ants sneak through the LCD display and get electrocuted it will damage the computer screen. Consequently, the display of the computer will also be interrupted. As it is quite evident, ants can create a massive destruction on the computers.
They are quite fond of occupying the warmer compact spaces. Hence, they find the laptops and computers very welcoming towards them.
Why Do Ants Enter or Go Inside pc?
Food remaining
Ants tend to invade your home mainly to fulfill two main requirements such as food and water.
Obviously, ants do not find moisture in the computers, hence they will go after your computer if they find any source of food in the computers. The keyboards can store crumbs between the keys. Hence if there is any leftover food in the keys, ants would be quite attractive towards them. Further they are attractive towards the heat generated by it too.
It is quite common to see people usually eat food while they are watching a movie on the computers, playing games or working on the computers.
Hence if there are any leftovers on the laptops, chances are that it may even reach the inside of the keys. Ants can sense this, and they will end up landing on the computers due to that. Hence do not eat when you are doing something on the computer. That will create less potential for the ants to infest the computers.
Heat
Ants who love to occupy the laps, electric outlets and inside the electronic home appliances are called crazy ants. They usually move in a random fashion. Hence, they have inherited the name called crazy ants. They usually prefer to occupy the places which are dry and warmer.
When you keep working on the laptops, your laptop will be heated. Once you shut it down, it will still remain hot for a while. Consequently, that heat, food stains are quite attractive towards the crazy ants. Ants make nests in the laptops and tend to lay eggs also there. This is something which you need to avoid unless it would create a greater damage to the laptops.
Further ants can reach your computers through the CPUS also. However, when you switch on the laptop, the CPU will chop the ants. Consequently, it will make the pheromones spread. That will attract more ants to the computers.
Signs Of Ant In pc
It is important to know the signs of the ant’s infestation in a computer so that you can identify if there is an active ant infestation.
Live ants.
If you find any active ants around your pcs, that literally means there is an active ants’ infestation in your pc. You could spot the live ants due to the pheromones from the ants and due to their food stains. You will see the ants commonly on the laptop screen, on the charger and on the keyboard as well.
Even the laptop charger can attract the ants as they generate the heat. There are ants which will sneak through the holes in the chargers. So, if you keep the charges in the same spot for so many days and if there are ants hanging around those places, there is a high probability for the ants to infest your pc.
Ant feces
Consider that there are ants in the lap, then it will push out their feces. If you can spot any dust like wood shavings where you have kept the laptop, then you can assume that there is an active ant infestation inside your laptops.
How To Get Rid of Ants From pc?
Seal the pc
You can consider sealing the PC in a plastic bag to get rid of the ants. Many people use this method commonly. All you need to do is to place your laptop inside a plastic bag and use an electric bag sealer to remove any air which could be remaining there.
Then the ants will find it difficult to breathe as they will be short of Oxygen. Consequently, it will make the ants rip through the plastic bag and leave the lap carrying their eggs as well as the larvae. Further chances are that the entire ant colony might perish inside the laptop. However, there is a potential for the eggs to hatch any time.
Further it will cause trouble for your laptop just like the previous ant’s colony. Hence you need to open the lap and clean it well so that you can remove all the ants’ eggs.
Giving Your PC a Shake
When you shake the food which the ants were feeding on, it will make them go away from the food they were consuming. Chances are that a slight touch may drive them away too. So, simply you can grab the laptop with both your hands and shake it firmly so that it will remove any ants which are present there.
It will scare the ants and make them leave the laptops faster. However, I suggest you do this in a place where you can apply a pesticide also for them so that you can get rid of them more effectively. When you shake the computers, do not do it so hard as it will damage your machine.
Vacuuming the pc
You can vacuum the ants as eventually all the vacuumed ants will perish. Having said that, if you cannot open the computer fully, you cannot vacuum the ants which are inside the computer.
However, you can vacuum the vents on the sides and on the bottom. Further when you open the laptop, beware when dealing with RAM, CPU or with the GPU in case if you do any damage to them, it will make the computer malfunction.
Avoid turning the vacuum cleaner at a high pressure and the best would be to use a normal level. Keep in mind that computers are sensitive things, and you need to handle them with care.
Baiting the Ants
Ants prefer to hang around the sweet and sugar items. Hence if you keep these items you will bait them out of your laptop. Many people use sugar water mixed with boric acid for this trick. Once you apply this, it will develop the gas inside the ants and block their intestines.
Ultimately it will kill them. If you use insecticides, it will act the same way. There will be dead ants present in the laptop due to this and after that you will have to clean the laptop properly. You can remove the entire ant’s colony of them including their eggs as well as the hatched larvae.
Using a Water Moat
You may use a water moat and that will also be an effective way of getting rid of the ants. However, do not go and dump our laptop in the water. Instead, you need to use a container which is large enough to cater to your computer. Ensure that you do not let it become submerged in water.
You can simply fill the container with water and place something in there which can sort of act like an island for the computer. You can simply place the laptop on top of it. After that, you can place a ruler or a fork which will be more like a bridge, and it will allow the ants to leave the computer.
Once the ants start to leave the computer, it will make the colony isolated. Hence, they will feel like they are under threat. Consequently, it will enable you to get rid of the entire colony. However, beware when you are dealing with computers and with water as If you do not practice this cautiously, you will end up having more trouble.
Getting Your pc to Overheat
Heat is something which you cannot withstand, be it humans or any other living creature. When you keep playing computer games and run high end software it will make the computer warm.
Hence, the excess heat which creates here will make the entire ant colony leave the laptop. There are people who keep the laptop in the sunlight during the daytime as it could fasten the ant colony leaving the computer. However, it could also create unnecessary damages for your computer. Hence, I do not recommend doing this.
Additionally, you can heat your computers by placing a thick cloth or towel and covering the exhausts in your machine for a few minutes. It will increase the temperature in the computer, and it will make the ants uncomfortable. Eventually they will leave the computers along with their colony.
You need to be careful when practicing this method as heating your computer is not a good idea for extended periods. You need to do it to a level where the ants can only leave the computers. Further ensure that you bring it to room temperature once it is all done.
Seek professional help
If you are not the one who wants to try the DIY method and wish to get someone else to do this task of getting rid of the ants from the computers, you can get the professional’s help. You can simply call the professionals and they will get the task done for you. It will always be a better option to spend some money on getting their service rather than letting your computer destroy it.
How To Keep Ants Away from The PC Forever?
Ants prefer two things mainly. If I name them, they are food and water. Ants may land in your computers if they find food in the computer. Food crumbs can be stored in the keys which would be quite attractive towards the ants. Further if you spill a sugary or an alcoholic drink, it is very unlikely that you can remove them completely from the computers.
Hence best would be to avoid eating while you are working on the computers. Further avoid keeping food in the same room where you keep the computer hardware.
Chase ants from your home
If you spot ants in your laptop, that literally means they have already infested your home. In that circumstance, the best would be to get a professional’s service to overcome this problem. You may find the ants nest in your yard, basement or even under the floor as well. Hence, it would be better if you can get a pest controller’s service to get it sorted.
Do not eat near pc
Refrain from eating closer to your computers. Further, do not leave any food closer to your computer as well. If you practice these steps, it is very unlikely that you will have to deal with the issues with the ants and there will be no reason for the ants to come and land in your computers.
Besides, you can conduct the regular services for the computers so that it will allow you to open the computers and clean them well. It would be the best thing to do, so that you can ascertain there is no dirt remaining on the computers and it will assure the best functioning of the computers as well.
Further if you have kept the computers in one set place, you may be tactful in changing the location where you have placed them. I suggest you not eat junk food such as burgers and sandwiches as they could drop crumbs on the computers.
When you eat while working, it will leave food stains in the computers which would attract the ants as well as the other insects. Hence the best thing you could do is to eat first, wash your hands, dry them, and start working again. If you do both tasks at once, it will leave food stains in the computer.
Regular cleaning
When you ensure that you regularly clean the computers, that will ensure that your computers are ant free. Computers have very sensitive parts, and you need to be careful when handling them. Best would be to get a professional’s service to get this task done.
Conclusion
To sum up, if there is any active infestation in your computer, it could damage your computer and result in data losses. How disappointing it would be losing your precious photos and valuable documents due to these little creatures. Keep in mind that the warm conditions and the food waste would be what could attract these nasty creatures to your computers.
Hence try to keep them as clean as you can so that you do not have to deal with this menace. Keep conducting services on the computers also. You can try the aforesaid steps to get rid of the ants in your computer. No matter what step you try, ensure that you do it with caution as it could create greater damage for the computers.
Hope the above given preventive measures would be effective for you in avoiding them if any potential ants infestation takes place.
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