Every few months, a post appears on the various subreddits I follow, in which desperate users post photos of horror stories of ants crawling inside their gaming PCs. This is exactly what happened to u/Thejus_Parol, who posted some truly nightmarish images on the ar/pcmasterrace community (based on an article by Tom's Hardware).
In this case, the pesky ants made their way through the dense components of the graphics card, eventually reaching the GPU itself. As is usually the case with these stories, the ants started eating the thermal paste on the GPU core and the thermal pads on the VRAM, causing the temperature to rise. This is usually the first sign of this problem. As the user says, “I noticed that the GPU temperature was getting a little higher. When I checked that the fans were working properly, I saw ants crawling on the GPU and on top of my device.
I know it's shocking, but it's not unusual. Just search for “ants” under ar/pcmasterrace and you'll find many posts about ants in power supplies, graphics cards, laptops, mice, monitors, and all the other components that make up a PC battle station. Internet wisdom tells us it's because the components overheat.
“This has happened to me several times,” says Kunal Kullar, noting that the ants settled on a router and a power source to monitor at different times.
Around 2013, a horde of ant species known as “crazy ants” appeared in southern states like Texas and Florida, which are particularly attracted to electronics. It's hard to say exactly what types of ants we might find in our computers — I'm not a zoologist — but these crazy ants seem to be a constant feature of these ads. Tom's Hardware reports that the increase in these types of posts may be related to pesky ants heading south, causing a wider ant infestation of gaming PCs.
No matter how diverse the ant stories are, they serve as a good reminder to address the problem as soon as possible. It's impossible to completely protect your gaming PC from infestation, but trying to prevent ants from gaining access to your coveted electronics is a definite step forward.
The question is often asked how to protect our computer from ants. Below we have collected the most important information and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Why are ants attracted to computers?
Ants are attracted to computers because their components generate heat. This attracts them because they are looking for warm places. They are also attracted to the cooling paste and thermal pads found in electronic devices.
What can I do about ants?
You can't completely prevent ants from getting into your computer, but you can take some steps to reduce their chances of getting them. Keep the environment around your computer clean, clean it regularly, and do not leave food near it as it attracts ants. We can use ant killers or natural methods like clove oil or lemon juice to keep ants away.
What types of components do ants have?
Ants can appear in almost every component of our computer, including the power supply, graphics card, laptop, mouse, monitor, and other components.
Why are there more and more posts of this kind?
The increase in these types of leaflets may be related to the southward spread of crazy ants. These ants are attracted to electronics and can cause ant infestations of computers.
How can I protect my computer from ants?
One way is to maintain regular cleaning and hygiene and keep food away from the computer. We can use ant killers or natural methods to keep ants away. However, it is important to note that complete protection is impossible.
Related links:
r/pcmasterrace – The most popular subreddit in the PC gaming community for more information about PC hardware.
Tom's devices – One of the leading sources of technology news and guides.
