Advice on ant problem

S

Sly

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
5,749
In my last keyboard, i found ants making a home inside the keyboard. I'm really careful not each anything near it, and even regularly blasts compressed air underneath the keys through a straw to get rid of debrie.

The odd thing is that i don't find the ants in the keyboard tray where stuff can accumulate between the keys, it's always inside the keyboard circuitry itself.

I even have alcohol in an atomizer next to me constantly wiping down my desk to get rid of ant pheromones that scouts may leave behind, as well as periodically washing my hands, and they still keep coming back. They don't seem to be eating anything in the keyboard, usually when we get an ant infestation, we just leave them alone until the ants clean out whatever attracted them and just clean up the area when they're done. But they're just packing into the keyboard and the ants aren't carrying anything.

In one of my previous keyboards, they turned the rubber membrane into swiss cheese.

I really have no idea what it is that attracts them, so is there anything i can put inside the keyboard to deter them? I've thought about crushing some mothballs but i'm worried that might kill me instead.

The current keyboard is brand new and i'm already seeing ants crawling around it. Already did another alcohol wipe. Maybe i'm diabetic?
 
I think if you sprinkle a few coffee grounds inside, that will take care of them pretty quick.
 
I'll try that the next time i open the keyboard.

I actually used chalk when i found that ants are incapable of crossing it for some reason. When you draw a chalk line around anything, they effectively become ant proof. But i've been upgrading my desk and with so many entry points for the cables, i can't use the chalk anymore.

I wonder if there's ant proof paint that uses chalk that i can coat the cables with.

EDIT: Hmm... google says i should try vinegar instead of alcohol... Not quite ready for that yet tho. My room does have good ventilation but that just means the smell would probably spread all over the house.
 
Last edited:
Maybe put a couple of drops of that liquid ant poison in the keyboard? You'd have to be careful not to let it short anything out, of course, but that might kill enough of them to clear them out. We have ants at our house (but not in the computers thankfully) and they are a bitch to get rid of.
 
Instead of trying to get them out of your keyboard, get them out of your house instead. I had a similar problem with ants in my house. (bathroom of all places)

I ended up using inside chemicals to spray inside (RAID type stuff) and then I bought some home protection stuff that you spray around the outside of your home. I sprayed that stuff once a week for about a month. Haven't seen ants inside anymore.
 
my step father used some type of poison liquidy stuff that he poured on a plate the ants kept coming to it and dieing until i think the whole colony died off. Not sure what the stuff was called though.
 
Look at Cyonara. Spray it all around your house foundation. It will kill spiders, and all sorts of other bugs including ants.
 
Skillz said:
Instead of trying to get them out of your keyboard, get them out of your house instead. I had a similar problem with ants in my house. (bathroom of all places)

I ended up using inside chemicals to spray inside (RAID type stuff) and then I bought some home protection stuff that you spray around the outside of your home. I sprayed that stuff once a week for about a month. Haven't seen ants inside anymore.
Click to expand...

This

To avoid having chewed up rubber membranes, get a mechanical keyboard.
 
if they are tiny black ants then they are sweet eaters. they will follow the trail of any sugar. spilled soft drinks, candy, etc. I used to use terro liquid ant baits. they eat it and feed it to the colony where they die.
 
I found some terro today and trying it out now. After reading the box, we're wondering if it's the same borax we've been using to clean the bathroom.

The ants are usually wandering around so it's rather hard to trace them, but they're really packing around this stuff. Hopefully it'll work and they'll stop wandering into my computer. Will one trap be enough to kill the colony? Or do i have to put this stuff down all over the house?
 
Great, now i find them gathering around my router. What the heck is attracting these things???
 
Sounds like a potential infestation. Do some housecleaning around the place, then call in a professional exterminator. When the exterminator is through, ask for suggestions on preventing future issues.
 
Great, now i find them gathering around my router. What the heck is attracting these things???
Click to expand...

This:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vVUh-194vU

Of course, there are two obvious ways to get rid of them:

-get an anteater (drawback: when out of ants, it will lick you to death) and
-buy a small inflatable pool, fill it with water and make an island with the PC desk (drawback: homemade electric execution device!)

or

block entry points to your room, like door and around windows (not just the desk) with some anti-ant chalk. Also, you can try to offer the ants some food (or Aztec sacrifice) outside the room, to make them go there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top