Ants ate my laptop

[tolsti]

I have had ants in my laptop and thankfully haven't seen any now for over 6 months.... my solution was quite simple... I very carefully sprayed an area of the desk around the laptop with a simple mozzie/ant/fly spray. The next day there were loads of tiny ants on the desk.... all dead.

Along comes my maid and cleaning the desk wipes all the dead bodies and spray residue away. Result.... more ants.

Chat with maid.... desk is now cleaned twice a week and spray reapplied as soon as it is dry.

No ants, no bodies....

[Muhendis]

not necessarilly for some reason ants are attracted to electricity...

It is not the electricity that attracts them apparently. If an ant wanders in to the electrics of anything and dies, his pals go to see what happened thinking they are under attack. Before you know it there are hundreds of the little soles between the switch contacts. All very dead and making sure no electricity can flow. This happened to my fridge, my freezer, a fan and the spark ignition switches of the gas hob. Also had a lizard wreck havoc in the TV power supply once. Never had a problem with my computer [yet] but then I don't care too much for Yunglick.

[hellodolly]

The ants in question are the small black fellows, which seem to be the most common variety that one finds in homes here. At that location we had at least four distinct groups: the large-bodied reddish ones; the equally large bodied blacks; these small black guys (the most numerous); and worst of all, the almost sub-visible reddish-transparent ones, that have a nasty sting.

It really is interesting to watch these little guys as they do their work. I could have done without their work on my machine, though!

Have you considered getting an ant farm or two. don't know where you could get one as I haven't see n them in years maybe Amazon.

edit spelling.

If you find one to remind me to proof read and use the sleep check send a couple my way.

Edited November 6, 2013 by hellodolly

[JSixpack]

For properly enjoying a computer-based ant farm, you really must have a transparent case with a few strategically drilled holes through which to provide the ant food. It's always instructive to throw in a few ants from some outside colony--the "farang"--and watch what happens to them.

[Pib]

Probably some material/coating/adhesive used during the manufacturing process attracted the ants. I saw a TV news report the other day where Dell is having a problem with some of its laptops smelling like cat pee (probably when they warm up)....and Dell admits its a manufacturing process issue...see this BBC Link.

[Frank James]

You are not alone:

https://www.google.no/#q=ants+in+Laptop

and just in case:

https://www.google.no/#q=ants+in+pants

Thanks Bruce. Turns out this is a known problem on several continents. I have never seen such a rich variety of insects as exists here in the kingdom. I also didn't know, and am not sure it is correct, that lizards here eat ants. In the same home where we had the ants, we had a lot of small lizards, and they seemed only interested in flying insects, particularly the flying termites that hatch and swarm here periodically, always early in the evening. They wolf those down like we devour the succulent prawn.

I have some hope that Somchai at the notebook repair stand can clean the innards up well enough for the beast to come back to life. If he cannot, I plan on having an educational afternoon dismantling the machine, and carefully swabbing everything with alcohol on a cotton swab stick. I always wanted to pop the hood on a notebook and seeing how things go together in there. As others have suggested, I will remove the HDD and retrieve my data.

I am in awe of what these creatures have done, and may be doing right now, to other computers, all over Thailand.

[Makhao]

In Thailand we have a lot so called Pharao ants ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharaoh_ant ) and they are used to inhabit all kind of electrical stuff.

Of course this is not about keeping your keyboard clean or not to eat on yor desk. They come for the warmth and they like heat very much. Keeping your computer running over night is making it even more attractive to them.

In my case they came over night, not some of them, but the whole colony. After they occupied my brand new notebook every time I started to work, they swarm out of my keyboard.

I tried to kick them out with heat (playing some games with 100% cpu and gpu load making the computer VERY hot), but they enjoyd even more to stay there.

You know, what helped me? Put the Computer in one room mit aircon and cooled down to 18 degree for the whole day. After that they were gone!

To prevent getting them back I now use the special bowls filled with water for the table base (the base stays dry, but around is water). You can buy them in the 10 baht shops. And I make sure, no wall is connected to the table and plug out the powercord over night. Thats all better than inviting them back in my notebook :-)

[AdamRich]

In Thailand we have a lot so called Pharao ants ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharaoh_ant ) and they are used to inhabit all kind of electrical stuff.

Of course this is not about keeping your keyboard clean or not to eat on yor desk. They come for the warmth and they like heat very much. Keeping your computer running over night is making it even more attractive to them.

In my case they came over night, not some of them, but the whole colony. After they occupied my brand new notebook every time I started to work, they swarm out of my keyboard.

I tried to kick them out with heat (playing some games with 100% cpu and gpu load making the computer VERY hot), but they enjoyd even more to stay there.

You know, what helped me? Put the Computer in one room mit aircon and cooled down to 18 degree for the whole day. After that they were gone!

To prevent getting them back I now use the special bowls filled with water for the table base (the base stays dry, but around is water). You can buy them in the 10 baht shops. And I make sure, no wall is connected to the table and plug out the powercord over night. Thats all better than inviting them back in my notebook :-)

Thanks to the OP for posting this. I have always had the same problem in my room in Pattaya. I always thought it was the heat that my laptop puts out that they were attracted too. I use the ant chalk around and on top of my desk and that seems to help somewhat.

[Benmart]

I also had the tiny, black ants on the counter in the kitchen, etc. I am meticulously clean, but they find every bit and crumb that goes unnoticed. I'm not keen on using poison spray or,powder and the non-toxic ones didn't seem to work well.

I ended up putting a small dish with a dab of jam on the counter and each day moved it further away from the kitchen. After a week, It is now outside the slider on the balcony and they stay out of the condo for the most part.

They are my adopted pets and as long as the jam holds out, my computer, TV, etc. is safer than before.

[BradinAsia]

OMG....How do you live in a place with ants like this....Spray, chalk, spray for you own good.

We don't live there any more. Where we live now has very few ants. I doubt if there's any home in Chiang Mai that doesn't have at least a few ants, even the brand new condo developments that are sprouting all over like mushrooms. The slums of tomorrow. Ants are here to stay. It's a perfect environment for them.

Ants can be a huge problem, for sure. Some years back, I lived in a first floor luxury apartment in Bangkok --

and had a major ant problem. The apartment staff did everything they could with little effect. After one year

I moved to a fifth floor apartment and had no more ants at all.

I just assumed they didn't like heights.

However, that was surely incorrect, bcoz now we live in an 11th floor condo in Chiang Mai, and are plagued

with exactly the same kinds of ants the OP describes. They haven't attacked any of our numerous electronic

devices yet, but it is an issue we need to give some attention to.

Amazing story!

.

Edited November 6, 2013 by BradinAsia

[Tchooptip]

not necessarilly for some reason ants are attracted to electricity...

It is not the electricity that attracts them apparently. If an ant wanders in to the electrics of anything and dies, his pals go to see what happened thinking they are under attack. Before you know it there are hundreds of the little soles between the switch contacts. All very dead and making sure no electricity can flow. This happened to my fridge, my freezer, a fan and the spark ignition switches of the gas hob. Also had a lizard wreck havoc in the TV power supply once. Never had a problem with my computer [yet] but then I don't care too much for Yunglick.

Yunglick.

[Tywais]

HD's are sealed airtight

Actually they're not. They have a small permeable filter (air filter) to allow the pressure to equalize between inside and outside. But it is too small and blocked by the filter for the ants to enter.

[shawndoc]

I've had real good luck using Deet to keep ants away. Just buy your typical spray on mosquito repellant with Deet, and apply it around the base/legs of any furniture that holds electronics (or food). Should keep ants from climbing up the furniture, and only needs to be reapplied every few months.

Be careful though, as the deet spray can damage some plastics and varnish. So rather than spray it on it might be better to spray onto a cloth and apply that way, and test in an inconspicuous place first to make sure it won't damage the finish.

[astral]

Well that is a new story.

Beats The Dog Ate my Homework!!

Mind you I did have termites eat a printer guts.............

I wonder if that is what happened here??

[DeeMockMark]

I also had the tiny, black ants on the counter in the kitchen, etc. I am meticulously clean, but they find every bit and crumb that goes unnoticed. I'm not keen on using poison spray or,powder and the non-toxic ones didn't seem to work well.

I ended up putting a small dish with a dab of jam on the counter and each day moved it further away from the kitchen. After a week, It is now outside the slider on the balcony and they stay out of the condo for the most part.

They are my adopted pets and as long as the jam holds out, my computer, TV, etc. is safer than
before.

A simple solution for those that don't like poison spray is dish washing detergent. Put a put a few (about 10-20) drops in a spray bottle. Spray on counters and along the sides where the floor meets the wall in your kitchen and of course on ant trails and ants. I also found out that they were coming from my patio. I spray the floor of my patio once a day in the evenings most times. The same in the kitchen w/ the counter and corners. I have my kitchen trash can on an upside down plastic laundry hamper. They have yet to find it and I have forgetten to empty it for days at a time. (I am not crazy sweaky clean) but after raging war with the big black ones and the tiny red ones things are nicely in control. I hardly see them. The small red ones was coming in through the screen in the windows. I sprayed outside around the window and now they are gone.l from my computer room and laptop. The spray ruins their scent. If you spray it on them both (black and red) directly they also seem to eventually die. At the very least they don't like it. Edited November 7, 2013 by astral

[Ticketmaster]

I had problems with ants and electonics (same as described by Crossy, above, plus a printer) -- unti I tried this: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/571792-eliminate-ants-forever/ ALL the ants have been gone from my previously infested house for over a year now.

Tongue Thaied is an absolute genius. <comment on moderation removed>

[Ticketmaster]

not necessarilly for some reason ants are attracted to electricity...

It is not the electricity that attracts them apparently. If an ant wanders in to the electrics of anything and dies, his pals go to see what happened thinking they are under attack. Before you know it there are hundreds of the little soles between the switch contacts. All very dead and making sure no electricity can flow. This happened to my fridge, my freezer, a fan and the spark ignition switches of the gas hob. Also had a lizard wreck havoc in the TV power supply once. Never had a problem with my computer [yet] but then I don't care too much for Yunglick.

Well then, the question that begs to be asked is: Why is it only a single breed of ants that plays havoc with electronics?

[Pib]

They are actually nano-robot ants developed by the Thai Mininstry of Information & Commications Technology designed to monitor your internet communications. Thai technology is a lot more advanced in some areas than you think.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

[cheshiremusicman]

OMG....How do you live in a place with ants like this....Spray, chalk, spray for you own good.

I had same kind of problems a few years ago until I found 'Chaindrite Stedfast 30SC'. I use this in a spray format and have also used it with a paint brush on the outside walls of the house and around the outside of the window frames- just paint it on. This completely eliminated ants invading the house. Obviously heavy rain will eventually wash this chemical off. It works on termites,powder post beetles, ants and other pests. Painting it on is far better and you are not breathing in the spray. I use a small 2 inch brush to paint it around the skirting areas and a 6 inch brush for the outside walls, quick and very very effective. Hope this helps others with the same problems.

[jackr]

A troll post so far off topic it was in a parallel universe has been removed.

Thanks for making my morning, Crossy. Any chance of re-posting comment?

[Crossy]

A troll post so far off topic it was in a parallel universe has been removed.

Thanks for making my morning, Crossy. Any chance of re-posting comment?

But then I'd have to give myself a warning for trolling

Suffice it to say it was of a political nature involving a certain Mr T. (not B.A.Baracus).

[Frank James]

Update: Stopped by the shop upstairs at Pantip this morning to see if the guys had made any progress on the ant farm. Somchai (not his real name, I just like it) showed me some more detailed pictures of even more infestation inside the Lenovo. Says he is confident that he can clean it up and make it work again, for 3500 baht, in about 3 days time. I said that sounds like a winning plan to me, go for it. The "Lenovo specialists" wanted 13,500 baht, with no guarantee of success.

I will report back when the machine comes back. This has been a very interesting experience for me, and it seems this is not at all an unknown problem here. If you see the little guys disappearing into your keyboard, you have the beginnings of a problem. Backup everything NOW.

[astral]

I use little ant traps, bought from the supermarket

They do not kill the ants immediately, but the ants take the poison

back to the colony and feed it to the others. Then they all die

A friend used it successfully

and his neighbour upstairs was also freed from his ants..........

Obviously the same colony

[belg]

cyberants infliltrattion

[Konini]

I also had the tiny, black ants on the counter in the kitchen, etc. I am meticulously clean, but they find every bit and crumb that goes unnoticed. I'm not keen on using poison spray or,powder and the non-toxic ones didn't seem to work well.

I ended up putting a small dish with a dab of jam on the counter and each day moved it further away from the kitchen. After a week, It is now outside the slider on the balcony and they stay out of the condo for the most part.

They are my adopted pets and as long as the jam holds out, my computer, TV, etc. is safer than before.

I used ant chalk where the floor meets the wall and on the 2nd tile up on the kitchen wall. Worked overnight, 2 years ago and they haven't been back. Worth a go, especially if you can see where they are coming in.

[mikemac]

Quite frankly Frank, I am saddened to hear the news, that you are a Yingluck fan.

[Baloo22]

The answer to an indoor ant infestation is Boric Acid. I just removed an infestation from my apartment. For those in Chiang Mai you can go to a chemical supply shop located on the south side of Suthep Road right about here. I walked in and spoke with one of the staff. I mentioned Boric Acid and show him กรด BORIC and the man knew exactly what I was talking about. 90baht for one kilo. (which would be enough for a several appartments/condos).

I mixed a batch of ant-killer goo/paste with 2parts Boric acid, 2 parts regular sugar, and 1part water. Went a little high on the water but that did not seem to matter. Just made it more of a syrup rather than a paste. Stirred well for about 10 minutes. Placed several small dabs down on some plastic from a store packaging box and placed it down near where the ants were active. Did not take their scouts 15min to find the stuff and before long bunches were feeding and taking it back to their nest. Went on for about 24 hours and then stopped. It's been 48hours and I do not see any ants around. Victory !!

Boric Acid is a low-level poison. Just ensure that small kids or pets are not going to pick it up and eat it. It seems that the secret is to get the poison into the nest and to the queen. Kill off her and the nest dies. Whey you spray and kill the 20-30 ants that you see, you are only getting the scouts and workers. The queen pumps out replacements for them every day. With this method you are using the scouts/gatherers to bring the boric acid into the nest and to the queen.

Ants eating the mix. Ants taking the mix home to the nest. This nest was, apparently in the wall in the hong-nam.

/

[h90]

You should have bought an Acer Laptop.

They are ant free.

Mine gets so hot, the ants would die even before entering.

[lostmark]

The Hard drive has physically broken or suffered a data corruption. The electronics are fine or you wouldn't get bootmgr is missing. An ant cannot break the internal parts of a hard drive because they are sealed. Ants did not cause this damage.

[samuijimmy]

The answer to an indoor ant infestation is Boric Acid. I just removed an infestation from my apartment. For those in Chiang Mai you can go to a chemical supply shop located on the south side of Suthep Road right about here. I walked in and spoke with one of the staff. I mentioned Boric Acid and show him กรด BORIC and the man knew exactly what I was talking about. 90baht for one kilo. (which would be enough for a several appartments/condos).

I mixed a batch of ant-killer goo/paste with 2parts Boric acid, 2 parts regular sugar, and 1part water. Went a little high on the water but that did not seem to matter. Just made it more of a syrup rather than a paste. Stirred well for about 10 minutes. Placed several small dabs down on some plastic from a store packaging box and placed it down near where the ants were active. Did not take their scouts 15min to find the stuff and before long bunches were feeding and taking it back to their nest. Went on for about 24 hours and then stopped. It's been 48hours and I do not see any ants around. Victory !!

Boric Acid is a low-level poison. Just ensure that small kids or pets are not going to pick it up and eat it. It seems that the secret is to get the poison into the nest and to the queen. Kill off her and the nest dies. Whey you spray and kill the 20-30 ants that you see, you are only getting the scouts and workers. The queen pumps out replacements for them every day. With this method you are using the scouts/gatherers to bring the boric acid into the nest and to the queen.

Ants eating the mix. Ants taking the mix home to the nest. This nest was, apparently in the wall in the hong-nam.

/

Excellent post!

I just wish I could find Borax / Boric acid on Samui!... no one seems to have!! .... (sounds the same in Thai as in English ... which helps...well it would if one could find it!!)

I saw a post the other day giving a link to someplace in Phuket selling it for over 400 baht... so 90 baht is a good price!

One could also put this solution into small plastic containers and punch holes to let ants in and out .... might be a little less messy... and the containers, could be dotted around out side too.... it would be a safer too

Assume your second image with blue label is your source?