There are more than twelve thousand species of ants all over the world. They have one thing in common: they live in colonies and work as a team. They divide work amongst themselves and are very diligent in scavenging for food and shelter. However, different species of ants act differently. Some choose to live in the forest with flora and fauna, while some live near human populations. And the weird thing is, some prefer to live inside electrical appliances. Ant infestation to electrical appliances can cause a big problem as they can damage your electrical appliances, cause short circuits and fire. You can minimize an ant infestation most of the time by cleaning your surroundings and making sure you are not leaving food near your electrical appliances for ants to feast. But there are times wherein countermeasures are needed as ants have already taken over your devices or machines.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ants
You might be wondering what kind of damage these tiny insects will do to your electrical appliances and devices, right? Well, an ant, as an individual, cannot do any damage at all. But ants working together, that’s a whole new story. And the sad truth is, ants are social creatures; thus, they always work in numbers to achieve their goal. Ants hanging out to your electronic device may seem a bit weird, but it does happen. Here are some frequently asked questions about ants that are known to infest electric appliances and devices.
Overview
- Where Do Ants Come from in Your Electric Appliance?
- Types of ants that live in Electronics
- What are the small tiny ants found in Electronics?
- Why are ants attracted to electronics?
- Do ants Get electrocuted?
- Do ants eat electricity?
- Can ants chew through electrical wires?
- How do you know if you have an infestation?
- How do to find an ant’s nest?
- What are the plants that repel ants?
Where Do Ants Come from in Your Electric Appliance?
Ants discovered your electronic devices because they are in search of food and shelter. If you touch your gadgets or computer while eating, it will leave crumbs and food smell to your device, attracting ants. And once they found the source of food, they might want to stay there for good because of the electricity.
Types of ants that live in Electronics
Many types of ants live in electronic appliances and devices. Some of the common types are crazy tawny ants, red fire ants, and tiny black ants. However, if we talk about switch boxes, you can even find the Asian super ant and the acrobat ants.
What are the small tiny ants found in Electronics?
The most popular type of ants found in electronics are the tawny crazy ants and the tiny black ants. These species love to crawl in and out of electronic devices to build their nest inside the electronic installations. They are smaller than the imported red fire ants and have an erratic behavior that is ominous in ants.
Why are ants attracted to electronics?
There are many speculations as to why ants are attracted to electronics. Some of the best conclusions are because ants are attracted to the warmth the wires give off when switched on, and ants are attracted to the magnetic field they create when switched on.
Do ants Get electrocuted?
The body of ants are not electricity resistant, and they die after getting electrocuted. Ants release a scent when they are in danger of attracting other ants in the process. The cycle will continue until you get a pile of dead ants that could lead to a short circuit or, worse, fire.
Do ants eat electricity?
No, they do not eat electricity. Ants are attracted to the magnetic field electricity gives off, but ants will get electrocuted once they bite directly into the electricity.
Can ants chew through electrical wires?
Ant mandibles cannot bite into the copper wires as they are not strong enough to do that. But they can peel off the plastic encasing the metal and, in turn exposing it. Once ant peels off the plastic and bites the wire, it usually results in a short circuit and fire.
How do you know if you have an infestation?
There are many signs you can look for to know if you have an infestation. But the most common of them is if you see a large number of ants in one place. Other signs include ant trails, ant bites on leftover food, and ant nests.
How do to find an ant’s nest?
Finding an ant’s nest can be tricky as they are small and crawl inside cracks and crevices. But if you follow the ant’s trail, it will eventually lead you to their nest. So you might want to spend some effort in following them through.
What are the plants that repel ants?
There are many types of plants that repel ants. If you would plant them inside your home, go for peppermint, lavender, and rosemary, but if you would plant them outside, go for cinnamon and marigold. Ants and other insects hate them, especially cinnamon and peppermint, as they can even kill ants.
Ants in Electrical Kitchen Appliances
Kitchen Appliances like refrigerators, microwave ovens, induction ovens, and electric kettles are some ants’ favorite hangouts. And why not? We use these electrical kitchen appliances to store and cook food which is one of the reasons why ants are inside your house. Getting rid of them from your electronic kitchen appliances could be a bit tricky as you cannot use pesticide; otherwise, you are endangering you and your loved one’s health. But it would be best if you did it; otherwise, ants will damage the appliances from inside out, and you will end up buying a new one instead. Also, cleaning your appliances from time to time discourages ants from building their colony there. But if you already have ants living inside your appliances, you need to thread carefully to remove them.
Overview
- How to Get Rid of Ants in the Refrigerator
- How to Get Rid of Ants in the Microwave
- How to Get Rid of Ants in the Electric Kettle
Refrigerator
Since you cannot use pesticides to remove the ants, use borax with sugar and water instead. Borax is a bait for ants, and they are deadly to them. Although borax has toxicity for humans, it will not have any effect if used sparingly.
Microwave
Just like refrigerators, microwaves are a favorite hangout for ants because of food and food spills. Aside from using borax, you may also use cinnamon powder, cinnamon oil, and peppermint spray to kill ants without harming yourself or your family. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder in the ants’ trail or spray cinnamon oil or peppermint oil into the ants’ trail to remove them.
Electric Kettle
Ants also need water to survive, and they most likely found water inside your electric kettle. The tricky part is that ants will not build a nest inside it, but it will keep coming back for more. The best way to get rid of it is by using bait to bring it back to their colony and kill every ant, including the queen.
Ants in Computer Electronic Appliances
Do you find it odd to see ants crawling on your keyboard or your monitor when working on it? How about on your printer? The thing is, ants in your computer are more common than you think. The most common species of ants that infest computers are the crazy tawny ants and the tiny black ants. Black ants don’t bite, but the crazy tawny ants bite without even being provoked, thus the name. And for some reason, they love building nests near a computer or inside them. They are inexplicable, drawn to the hum and warmth of electricity, and your computer has them aplenty. If you are eating while working on your computer, it could be the cause of the invasion. Food particles and crumbs can get inside your keyboard when you eat, and ants will most likely find it.
Overview
- How to Get rid of ants on Laptop Keyboard
- How to Get rid of ants in Laptop Speaker
- How do I Get rid of ants in Macbook Laptop?
- How to Get rid of ants inside Printer Scanner Bed
- How to Get rid of ants in WiFi Router
- How To Get Rid Of Ants in Headset
Laptop Keyboard
Clean your keyboard by using a keyboard vacuum to dislodge any remaining crumbs and ants in your keyboard. Spray peppermint oil around your laptop keyboard but not directly in it as laptop keyboards are sensitive to moisture. Clean your keyboard regularly to avoid infestation.
Laptop Speaker
Laptop speakers are inside your laptop, and you cannot reach them via a vacuum. To get rid of ants in your laptop speakers, you need to open them and vacuum the ants painstakingly. If you are not techy or not confident enough to open your laptop, it is always best to have it checked in a repair facility rather than try to follow complex steps that could ruin your device.
MacBook Laptop
From my observation, Macbooks are sturdier than other laptops, but ants can still cause damage to the system. First, you can use ant baits to get rid of ants inside, then, later on, try vacuuming dead ants if they have built their nest already. Finally, spray peppermint oil around your Macbook; once you do not see ants make sure they stay out.
Printer Scanner Bed
The printer scanner bed will not work if you have an ant infestation, especially if they swarm right underneath the glass. To remove them, you need to unplug the printer from the power source and carefully remove each piece while making sure you know how to put it back in. Then, use an electronic duster to dislodge the ants and vacuum to suck them up.
WiFi Router
Since WiFi routers are considerably smaller and lighter than laptops, you may take them apart to vacuum the ants if they have already built their nest. Just make sure to unplug the WiFi from the power source first before unscrewing it, as you may get electrocuted. Spray peppermint oil outside your WiFi Router once done to discourage them from coming back.
Headset
Ants inside your headset can be pretty scary, not just because they can affect the sound quality but also because they can crawl inside your ear. You need trick ants to come out of the headset by setting up bait near it. Once they come out, move the headset to another location and make sure to spray it with peppermint oil to discourage ants from coming back.
Ants in Tablets and Mobile Phone Electronic Gadgets
Our mobile phones and tablets have been a necessity since they were released. We use it every day to make a call, read books, surf the net and play games. And it is a favorite pastime for both kids and adults alike. Unfortunately, however, as we constantly use tablets and phones, we unwittingly attract ants to our precious devices since we are eating while using them. And you may find yourself getting rid of ants inside your electronic gadgets.
As smartphones and gadgets are smaller compared to laptops desktops, ants can’t start a colony inside. As ants cannot tolerate too much heat or cold, some might suggest exposing your device to the sun or put them in the freezer. But that is too much, considering this method could potentially damage your devices permanently.
Overview
- How to get rid of ants inside Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phone
- How to get rid of ants inside Samsung Tablet
- How do I get rid of ants in the iPhone Mobile Phone?
- How to get rid of ants inside iPad Tablet
Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phone
Ants can sense danger and have a built-in instinct to flee when threatened, so shaking your Samsung Mobile phone can dislodge the ants inside it. Continue shaking until you no longer see ants coming out of your phone. Then, wipe with electronic wipes to remove the smell of food from your device.
Samsung Tablet
Like in the Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phone, you can remove ants inside it by shaking your table vigorously. The action will trigger the ant’s instinct to flee from possible danger. You can also use an electronic duster to blow into your tablet to dislodge ants inside without having to open it up.
iPhone Mobile Phone?
Removing ants from an iPhone is the same as removing them from any other mobile phone out in the market by shaking your iPhone to scare the ants away. Aside from that, you may also remove them by using electronic dusters and wipes. If you are concern that you will damage your iPhone, have the ants removed in an Apple store.
iPad Tablet
iPad Tablets are more expensive than android tablets, and with this in mind, some people opt to go directly to an Apple repair facility to have the ants removed. But you can also try eliminating ants on your own by shaking your iPad and using electronic duster and wipes.
Ants in Gaming Electronic Appliances
People, especially guys, love to huddle and play games using electronic gaming appliances like Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and Xbox. And who wouldn’t, especially if there’s pizza, soda chips, and fries to dig in, right? That’s well and good, but it is also the reason why ants love to hang out with your gaming appliances. They can detect food sources, and once they think you have a constant supply near your electronic gaming appliances, they are bound to stay and set up their base camp with you.
Making sure your gaming appliances stay ant-free; you need to clean them every after use. If you don’t, brace yourself to see ants crawling on and about your console and joysticks. And the worse part is, they can do damage to your gaming appliances when not treated immediately.
Overview
- How to get rid of ants in Mechanical Keyboard
- How To Get Rid Of Ants inside Nintendo Switch
- How To Get Rid Of Ants inside Playstation
- How To Get Rid Of Ants Inside Xbox
Mechanical Keyboard
Use an electronic duster to blow away possible food particles that may have lodged into your mechanical keyboard crevices. Afterward, use a vacuum to suck the remaining dust and food particles that may have remained. Finally, use electronic wipes to remove the smell of food from your keyboard and spray peppermint oil around it.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch is like a tablet in terms of mobility. You may also shake it, but not much, as it has parts that may come off when shaken too hard. You can also use an ant bait to get rid of ants inside Nintendo Switch. And lastly, use an electronic duster to blow the ants away; make sure you wipe the device clean with electronic wipes.
Playstation
You can use an electronic duster to blow away ants inside your Playstation. Or you can use an ant bait to make sure you kill them all. Finally, when ant activity is gone, spray peppermint oil around your Playstation.
Xbox
You can use electronic duster and ant baits to get rid of ants inside your Xbox. For the controller, shake them so ants will come out. Once ant activity is gone, spray an ant repellant like peppermint oil or cinnamon oil to prevent them from coming back.
Other Electric Appliances
Aside from the previously mentioned appliances and gadgets, ants also infest other devices like your split-type air conditioner, window-type air conditioner, and electrical outlets. But the reason would be the same, they need shelter and have decided that these places are perfect for building nests. Ants love the warm, dark, and damp areas and constantly get that electric buzz is a bonus, so they build nests in air conditioners. For electrical wall outlets, it is because it gives off warmth, and the location is secured, and they are not going to be bothered by humans (unless they got discovered). Air conditioner mechanisms are sticking out of your house, and ants can infiltrate it easier than appliances inside your home.
Ants inside your air conditioner and electrical installations are harmless until they decided that the wires are edible and chew on them. Then, it could cause a short circuit or, worse, fire!
Overview
- How to Get Rid of Ants inside Split Type Air Conditioner
- How to Get Rid of Ants inside Window Type Air Conditioner
- How to Get Rid of Ants In Electrical Wall Outlet
Split Type Air Conditioner
Getting rid of ants inside the split-type air conditioner is tricky as you need to remove the outdoor unit first and take it apart to get the ants inside. Once the outdoor unit is open, spray an insect repellent to kill ants inside. Then, wait for a few minutes and use a vacuum and electronic duster to remove ants before putting the outdoor unit back.
Window Type Air Conditioner
It would be best to take down your window-type air conditioner to get rid of ants inside it. Once down, remove the cover and use a power spray to get rid of all the ants inside. Let the unit dry under the sun before putting it back.
Electrical Wall Outlet
Ant baits are one of the fastest and most effective ways to eliminate ants in your electrical wall outlets. However, it is imperative to clean dead ants after they die so dead ants won’t pile up in your electrical outlets. A Pile of dead ants can cause fire when an unsuspected ant bit into the electrical wiring and got electrocuted.
