Ants: Real hardware bugs!

This really sounds like a trivial thing: First I've noticed the odd one crawling about my desk, then they started to emerge in betwen the spaces of of the keys of my laptop. Lately my computer has been self starting (but honestly I can't be 100% certain).

A quick search with google shows that they like electrical circuitry and were also found in large numbers inside harddrives! I never eat anything near my comp, and I live on the 20th floor of a building. How on earth did they get there, and what can I do to get rid of them.

Looks like I need an Anti insect ware!

 

I think there is an Anti-ant software that has a free version but I can,t find any link for it at the moment. It works on Vista and XP.
Give me few years and I might come out with some links.

 

First bugs, then worms, then ants...what next !!!!

 

U forgot ( trojan) horses.
Wait for Mammoths( giant elephants) to come and crush ur PC.

 

Must be something attracting them, let's hope it's not the electronics or we're all doomed!

 

LOL.

What a nice and refreshing thread.
Thanks Osaban.

But...

...how can this be possible? Aren't drives hermetically sealed?

 

http://getipm.com/answers/computer-ants.htm

http://ask.metafilter.com/45931/Ants-on-a-Computer

I disinfected my desk eversince and 'cleaned' my laptop, hope it works.

Do ants in particular circumstances nest in concrete?

 

Ants can nest just about anywhere. I also live in an apartment complex that just last year had a slight infestation of Pharaoh ants. I keep my place very clean but if your neighbor doesn't it won't much matter as the ants will travel looking for a food source.

I noticed a few of them crawling around my work station, monitor and also in and out of the tower. I just went down to the local hardware store picked up some traps, put them where i i noticed them most and in a few weeks they were gone.

Just my little ant adventure. I'm just thankful it wasn't roaches.



snowbound

 

Well, I actually looked up for "hermetical hard drives" and I found here that the drives are actually not hermetically sealed (which is quite logical if you think about it). So, it is theoretically possible for a very small ants to get in there too!

I don't see a reason why not. They certainly cannot dig through concrete to make a nest, but if they find an appropriate hole, I believe they'll nest everywhere - provided there's some food nearby too. There's some Field Ants that does this, also Yellow Ants and some othere species too! Please look here (do a ctrl+f on that page for 'concrete')

 

One thing for sure: According to your chart they can nest anywhere, and it is very difficult to locate them. I think I'll have to follow snowbound's advice and buy some traps.

I'm also curious if crawling on to the motherboard they could act as triggers to unwanted side effects.

 

Actually, that is where the term 'bugs' in
computer terminology came from-REAL bugs...

Cockroaches to be exact-this is just one short story....

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/roach.html

Hope ya get your problem solved, Osaban!

You could try cayenne pepper borders around where you
think they came in too.....most bugs HATE that stuff..

Marja