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Question

ants, laptops and external hard drives

Jul 19, 2011 5:45PM PDT

How many ants must there be to be dangerous to laptops (mine's an eeepc) and external hard drives (Seagate expansion) - will a handful be okay, for example? How would you know, besides seeing ants crawling all over them, that there are ants living inside them? What's the best way to get rid of ants?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
One could be too many or ...
Jul 20, 2011 3:05AM PDT

conversely thousands could be OK if they were all careful to avoid circuitry they could short (something I wouldn't count on).

I wouldn't try any insecticide as it would leave dead ants inside the computer. Try removing it away from any food source and disposing of the ants as thy emerge looking for food when they get hungry. Avoid using the computer while eating or drinking surgery substances to avoid ant infestations in the future.

Alternatively, you might try rounding up a few dozen tiny little uncles in an enclosed glass box and setting it down next to the laptop. When the ants come out to visit squash them. Wink

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Answer
Let's try...
Jul 20, 2011 4:16AM PDT

There was a topic similar to yours some time ago. The best solution other than to avoid possible food stuffs near the devices in question. If you are prone to such, then get a "hard case" that's sealable from outside environment. Once the ants are present, you may find placing in a bag of moth balls or similar, whatever works best to help them to move on. An actual insecticide could kill ants inside, only you know that and best act upon it. If this is an area you commonly use to access the laptop, beware that ants leave residue that allows other ants to know that food stuffs are present, so clean, wipe, disinfect the area to reduce they're return. You can use borox or roach rid dust to help reduce the return as well. Otherwise, you maybe better to move to another area.

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Terro
Jul 23, 2011 2:52AM PDT

I'd suggest a product called TERRO.
It attracts the ants and they take it back to their ant house and feed it to their mamma & brothers & sisters and then they all die some place else.