A player reports a strange phenomenon: his gaming PC is being plagued by ants that are eating his hardware. These particular ants are now known in the USA, but they have not yet appeared in Germany.
What kind of ant problem is this? A player explains on reddit that he is currently dealing with an unusual ant infestation. They are targeting his gaming PC, particularly his graphics card.
He himself states that he has tried everything to get rid of the unwelcome visitors:
- He cleaned the components with a spray containing isopropyl alcohol.
- He also cleaned his desk, where the PC is located, with an insect repellent spray.
But none of that helped. As soon as he cleaned his gaming PC, the onslaught of ants started again. He himself is now quite desperate and fears that his hardware will suffer serious damage:
I don’t know how they got here, it was as if they came out of nowhere. There are no ants nesting anywhere in my room, and they even avoided the insect spray. Now I’m sick with worry that they will destroy my PC with the acids from the ants.
(via reddit.com)
Ants are a real plague in the USA, but not widespread in Germany
Essentially, there are several species of ants that are attracted to electronic devices (via ant-pest.com). The most notorious species that attack electronics are fire ants and “Rasberry Crazy Ants”: the latter are about three millimeters long, very aggressive, and have a penchant for electronic devices (via deutschlandfunknova.de).
It cannot be precisely determined why ants are so fascinated by electronics. What is clear is that significant damage is caused by these ants, particularly in the southern USA, where fire ants and “Rasberry Crazy Ants” create serious issues.
Moreover, merely killing the ants doesn’t help much. When killed, the ants release chemical substances, attracting more ants:
When these ants land on electronic devices, it often leads to a short circuit or they die from an electric shock. This triggers their pheromones, indicating they are in danger. They [the ants] are being attacked. They [the ants] need help.
Could this also happen in Germany? “Rasberry Crazy Ants” are not currently found in Germany or Europe. This species is only native to North America. Therefore, it is still unlikely that ants will swarm over your gaming PC or other valuable hardware. The ants were first detected in the Texas city of Houston and are now also found in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi (via nbcnews.com).
So far, the ants have not migrated to Germany. Nevertheless, individuals repeatedly report how these ants destroy valuable hardware. And getting rid of them is not that easy:
