Ants are a common nuisance in everyone’s home, and they’re even known to get into the keyboard of a personal computer. This happens to a lot of people and wild theories are spreading about why ants are particularly attracted to keyboards. Even though an ant infestation isn’t anything you should take lightly, there are ways to get rid of ants who have made their way to your keyboard. So, how do you get rid of ants in your keyboard?
The simplest way to get ants out of your keyboard is to use Aero Duster which contains compressed air that’s definitely going to blow the ants away. A vacuum cleaner can also help to remove the vermin. If the ants have infested your laptop keyboard, then you’ll often need to disassemble it because they’re probably in other parts of your laptop, as well.
Ants are interesting creatures that really do have the ability to move through areas that are completely inaccessible to humans. However, this can sometimes lead to them disrupting our work, as no one can type if they have ants coming out of their keyboard.
This is what we’ll be taking a look at today – ants in your keyboard and how you can get rid of them. In today’s article, we’ll be answering questions like why ants are attracted to keyboards, how to get them out of your keyboard, can ants harm laptops, and ants can harm your keyboard?
Let’s get started!
Why Are Ants Attracted to Keyboards?
The only reason ants are attracted to your keyboard is because of food. Even though there is speculation within the scientific community about certain electronic devices having an interesting effect on ants (among other insects) and attracting them, it’s unlikely that this is true. Electricity can be used to manipulate insects, but those impulses have to be sent in an enclosed environment which is fitting certain criteria.
It doesn’t matter whether you have a laptop or a PC, there are most likely crumbs and other food debris in your keyboard. You don’t have to see this, some of these leftovers are microscopic and only the ants can notice them – but that’s enough for them to invade your computer.
If you’ve been drinking anything but water above your keyboard and you spilled a single drop – it will attract ants. This applies to sugary drinks especially, since ants go crazy for carbohydrates. Even though the liquid has dried, the ants can still smell it, and they’re going to find a way to get there so they can harvest it.
The best way to keep ants away from your keyboard is to refrain from eating and drinking above it.
(Not to mention that this will also make your working area a whole lot cleaner).
Checklist: How to Get Rid of Ants from Keyboards
- Bring your keyboard outside
- If easy: disassemble your keyboard
- Use an aero duster to blow the ants away
- Alternate: Use a vacuum cleaner to suck them out
- Keep your keyboard clean!
Take your keyboard outside when you’re starting the cleaning, as you don’t want to blow all the ants around your house.
If you know how to take your keyboard apart, then you should definitely do that and blow them all away.
If you have a PC keyboard, then it’s best to spray them all away with a can of Aero Duster. You can get this at any store, especially hobby shops or hardware stores, and it will definitely blow the ants away.
You can also use a vacuum cleaner if you take that it doesn’t suck in buttons. Using a sock over the hose will reduce the power and provide the chance of getting back the buttons without opening the cleaner
If there are ants in your keyboard, that means that there’s an ant colony in your house, and just because it’s not yet at the level of the infestation doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get rid of them.
If you have a laptop, though, you’ll need to take your laptop outside and disassemble it before you start doing any blowing. Your keyboard is embedded into your laptop’s hardware, and it’s unlikely that you’ll blow any of them out without taking your laptop apart. Check online for tutorials on how to take your specific laptop apart – you do not want to break your laptop when you’re doing this.
Both of these fixes are quite simple, but what’s absolutely necessary is for you to clean your keyboard – the whole reason these ants suddenly appeared close to your computer and invaded your laptop is that it’s not clean.
It has leftovers and ants can sense that – they want the food. Make sure to keep the laptop clean and if you see ants appearing in other parts of your home, then it’d be best to call an exterminator.
Do you prefer a vacuum or even some more aggressive stuff? This is your must-read: Can Ants Get Out Of Vacuum Cleaner? and Does Lysol Kill Ants?
Can Ants Harm Laptops?
Ants are potentially dangerous even if they can’t chew through wires like mice. They can get electrocuted while they’re wandering around your laptop, which can cause it to short circuit.
For example, the space between two conductors is very small, and an ant could easily be standing on both conductors at the same time. If the ants were to get electrocuted while standing on the conductors – your laptop would malfunction.
Can Ants Harm Your Keyboard?
Ants can’t really harm your keyboard on the outside, as it’s mostly plastic and some rubber. Even if some ant species are capable of attacking rubber, that’s really difficult for them and they’re unlikely to do that.
An ant can damage a keyboard if it somehow causes the connection between the keyboard and the rest of the laptop to break. This way, you won’t be able to use that button.
This is very similar to the way ants harm laptops (unintentionally), so it’s best to get rid of them as soon as possible.
