I've recently found red ants invading my laptop's hard drive, and they also targeted an external hard drive sitting in a box. Thankfully, both drives are still functional! It was alarming to see them crawling out of the USB ports while I was using the laptop, and when I inspected it, I discovered a bunch of them near the hard drive. The external drive had some strange debris on it that I'm unsure came from the ants or the drive itself. Given that it's the rainy season, I suspect they might be drawn to heat or food scarcity. But why these specific drives? How can I prevent this from happening again?
1 Answer
To tackle those pesky red ants, you need to identify the species since different ants respond to different baits. I've had success with a mix of boric acid, sugar, and maple syrup. Just combine them in equal parts and add a dash of water to thin it out. The key is finding their entry point. It’s better to let them take the bait back to their nest instead of smashing them. The boric acid will not only help eliminate the ant you see but also the colony eventually. I've dealt with similar ant problems for a while, and this method has worked wonders for me. Good luck!
I don’t even know how to figure out the species. They seem to be your typical red house ant, and I’ve cleaned my entire desk without finding their nest. They could be hiding inside my desk legs since they’re metal and hollow, but it’s a pain to track them down.