Have you ever saw ants crawling around and inside your electrical outlets? Have you ever wondered what they are doing there? There is no proven scientific reason as to why ants are attracted to electronic devices and outlets. However, they may be attracted to the magnetic waves the wires give off when you are using electricity. Another reason could be bad sanitation. Whatever the case may be, it is highly recommended that you kill the ants in electronic outlets as it could lead to serious problems like a bad outlet, short circuits, and even fire. Now, you don’t want that to happen, do you?
Quick overview
How do ants infiltrate electronic outlets?
Damages ants can do
Ants can cause Short Circuit
Ants can cause Fire
Killing Ants in electronic outlets using organic materials
Use cinnamon to kill ants in electronic outlets
Peppermint as a way to kill ants in electronic outlets
Using market grade ant killers to kill ants in electronic outlets
Ants Insecticide
Ant Baits
Sonic Ant Repellents
Prevention is better than cure
How do ants infiltrate electronic outlets?
The answer is pretty simple. Ants are relatively small and can move in through cracks and small holes. Once inside, they would naturally have two goals: set up camp and find the source of food. Your kitchen area is the most vulnerable place in your home as ants can smell food from miles away. If you touch the electronic outlets with your hand smelling like food, ants will find it and infiltrate your electrical outlet. Ants can set up camp on electric outlets and installation where it is dark and warm.
Damages ants can do
By now, you are wondering what’s in it for you if you see few ants crawling out of your electronic outlets. Well, you have a reason to panic because ants can cause a lot of damage if not taken care of immediately. And it can escalate to big problems for you.
Ants can cause Short Circuit
Ants are attracted to the magnetic waves from the wires and the warmth the wires give off. A lot of times, they set up camp inside the wall in your electronic installation. And when ants set up camp, they bring soil and moisture. It is a fact that water is bad for metal, especially for electronic wirings.
Ants can cause Fire
Since ants are naturally curious, an ant will eventually try to bite into the wire. As worker ants leave camp to find food, it releases pheromones so other ants can locate them. They also use this to find their way home. If an ant bites into a wire, other ants will follow. Since they can bite into the wiring, they will be electrocuted and die. In turn, it can lead to a short circuit and eventually fire.
Killing Ants in electronic outlets using organic materials
By now, you are already wondering how to kill ants in electronic outlets as we can get electrocuted and die. If you do not have the confidence to tamper with electronic installations, it would be better to call a professional to do it for you. And it is always a good practice to switch off the power outlet before you go anywhere near your electronic installation. Safety precaution is way better than cure.
Use cinnamon to kill ants in electronic outlets
Sprinkle cinnamon powder to ant trail and tunnels, and every hole and cracks you see ant use to infiltrate your house. They have a great aversion to cinnamon that they will not dare go near them as long as they can smell the spice. Not only that, cinnamon has compounds that are deadly to ants.
If you want to kill ants in your electronic outlets, you may spray cinnamon oil around the outlet. But not directly as it could lead to a short circuit. Please make sure to switch off your power supply before doing this.
Peppermint as a way to kill ants in electronic outlets
Another organic way to kill ants in electronic outlets is by using peppermint spray. Peppermint also has compounds that are proven deadly for ants. But spray only around the outlet and wiring system. Do not spray directly on the wires and exposed metal parts as it could lead to problems.
Using market grade ant killers to kill ants in electronic outlets
There are a lot of products in the market designed to kill ants. You can choose whatever option you would like to use as they are all proven effective. However, if you have doubt and are not confident with following packaging instructions, you may opt to call a professional instead.
Ants Insecticide
You may use insecticide to kill ants. You may choose whatever insecticide to use but make sure to follow packaging instructions. And as with the cinnamon oil and peppermint spray, do not spray it directly to wirings, just around it. Also, switch off your power supply before anything else.
Ant Baits
There are also ant baits in the market nowadays. The worker ants are attracted to the material and carry the ant bait back to their nest. It will then be consumed by other workers and the queen, effectively killing the entire ant colony. The only problem with it is if you do not know where the nest is, you cannot remove it once the ants are gone. It can be a problem in the future as other ants may set up camp in the same place.
Sonic Ant Repellents
There are also products like supersonic ant repellents that use high-pitched sound that may repel, kill, or drive away pests like ants. However, there are some claims that these cannot kill ants but drive them away instead.
Prevention is better than cure
As with many other problems, it is best to prevent them from happening rather than cure them. For ant problems, it would be best to patch the cracks and holes that ants use. However, as most of us are busy with our everyday lives and don’t have time to check every nook and crony of our house, we can clean it frequently so ants and other insects will think twice before setting their sight on it.
