Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Ants trying to crawl into my Macbook Pro!

C

cathyy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 12, 2008
727
4
About a month back I accidentally dropped just a handful of crumbs on my Macbook Pro's keyboard and speaker grills. I tried getting some out, but without much success. The next day when I opened the lid of the Macbook Pro, I could see 3 ants crawling about. I didn't really know what to do other than try to shake the crumbs out, and I kinda hoped the ants would stop eventually.

Since then, I would have an ant crawl over my Macbook Pro every couple of hours. I finally decided to observe one of them. It walked on the left palm rest, tried to find an entrance through my trackpad, climbed off my Macbook Pro, and started walking around the base trying to find a way in. It finally did walk under the base from the right side, so I lifted up my Macbook Pro to look for it. However it suddenly disappeared. I'm guessing it must have came out and crawled into the FireWire ports on the right while I was looking underneath for it.

About a minute later, it climbed out, walked over the right speaker grill then onto the monitor hinge, almost wanted to walk in through the vent but it changed it's mind and started crawling on the lid instead. I closed the lid of my Macbook Pro and squished it.

So I'm kinda wondering what exactly the ant is looking for? It seems to be finding an entrance in, but even when it did, it came out? It also saw the vents but didn't go in. (there's a possibility it was too hot)

Were they still looking for the crumbs that I dropped almost a month ago? What should I do? :(
 
cathyy said:
About a month back I accidentally dropped just a handful of crumbs on my Macbook Pro's keyboard and speaker grills. I tried getting some out, but without much success. The next day when I opened the lid of the Macbook Pro, I could see 3 ants crawling about. I didn't really know what to do other than try to shake the crumbs out, and I kinda hoped the ants would stop eventually.

Since then, I would have an ant crawl around every couple of hours. I finally decided to observe one of them, and it walked on the left palm rest, tried to find an entrance through my trackpad, climbed off my Macbook Pro, and started walking around the base trying to find a way in. It finally did walk under the base from the right side, so I lifted up my Macbook Pro to look for it. However it suddenly disappeared. I'm guessing it must have came out and crawled into the FireWire ports on the right while I was looking underneath for it.

About a minute later, it climbed out, walked over the right speaker grill then onto the monitor hinge, almost wanted to walk in through the vent but it changed it's mind and started crawling on the lid instead. I closed the lid of my Macbook Pro and squished it.

So I'm kinda wondering what exactly the ant is looking for? It seems to be finding an entrance in, but even when it did, it came out? It also saw the vents but didn't go in. (there's a possibility it was too hot)

Were they still looking for the crumbs that I dropped almost a month ago? What should I do? :(
Click to expand...

The wanton taking of another life is wrong.
Did you know that crabs can feel pain and remember it too, could you have not kindly led the ant away from your "green" macbook pro without violence.
Just a thought...
I wonder what the ant's family is thinking right now that their dad did not come back home last night...
 
catdog02481 said:
The wanton taking of another life is wrong.
Did you know that crabs can feel pain and remember it too, could you have not kindly led the ant away from your "green" macbook pro without violence.
Just a thought...
I wonder what the ant's family is thinking right now that their dad did not come back home last night...
Click to expand...

LOL!!!
 
catdog02481 said:
The wanton taking of another life is wrong.
Did you know that crabs can feel pain and remember it too, could you have not kindly led the ant away from your "green" macbook pro without violence.
Just a thought...
I wonder what the ant's family is thinking right now that their dad did not come back home last night...
Click to expand...

In terms of what you should do now, how about donating $1000 for the study of ants to your local favorite college. I think there is a guy at Harvard studying ant colonies and such....
 
I would use a strong hoover (Dyson) and hover quite closely over the keyboard buttons (even try taking them off) and over the grills.

Hope it helps.
 
catdog02481 said:
In terms of what you should do now, how about donating $1000 for the study of ants to your local favorite college. I think there is a guy at Harvard studying ant colonies and such....
Click to expand...

haha omg this is too funny
 
catdog02481 said:
The wanton taking of another life is wrong.
Did you know that crabs can feel pain and remember it too, could you have not kindly led the ant away from your "green" macbook pro without violence.
Just a thought...
I wonder what the ant's family is thinking right now that their dad did not come back home last night...
Click to expand...

Wow. Just...wow.
 
No crumbs - but a few ants persist in going across my screen and area by the MacBook Pro sticker. I've learned to simply watch them cruise about.

They are obviously MBP fans :D
 
Apple Corps said:
No crumbs - but a few ants persist in going across my screen and area by the MacBook Pro sticker. I've learned to simply watch them cruise about.

They are obviously MBP fans :D
Click to expand...

Yea, but I didn't have any ants crawling about prior to that incident.

Would your suggest using a hand-held vacuum or taking apart the case to clean up whatever's inside?

Also, thanks a lot catdog2481 for hi-jacking my thread.
 
cathyy said:
Constructive posts please. You're not helping. :mad:
Click to expand...

why'd you drop crumbs into your computer in the first place? you shouldn't eat sloppily in front of delicate electronic equipment. :rolleyes:

seriously, take apart the computer and vacuum the sh*t out of it.
 
Jurwin said:
Just run handbrake while ants are in your laptop. That should cook them alive. They can't survive the heat! :D
Click to expand...

I play lots of TF2, so that should have been enough to kill anything that's inside. They come back after I'm done though.

sehnsucht77 said:
why'd you drop crumbs into your computer in the first place? you shouldn't eat sloppily in front of delicate electronic equipment. :rolleyes:

seriously, take apart the computer and vacuum the sh*t out of it.
Click to expand...

It was kinda an accident. I had a couple of crumbs on a small plate which I wanted to clear, but I accidentally dropped them over it.
 
On a serious note.

Buy one of those Ant traps that have poison food in them, that they carry back to their colony and eat, killing all of them and the queen. Place it near your MBP.

I believe Raid makes them?
 
Drastic times call for drastic measures. Find a used computer dealer or look around for any sort of 'windows xp inside' or better yet, an 'optimized for vista' decal.

Put it on your mac in a place where the ants can see it.

After the smart ants have fled, and dumb ones that stayed in the machine have sickened and died, vacuum out your pro, and remove all traces of the sticker or decal.

I'd further suggest having a priest do an exorcism and then blessing your machine via irc, or preferably, iChat.
 
The ifixit site has a guide to taking it apart. Doesn't look like fun though..

I would try vacuuming it, maybe with some compressed air to try to blow things out.

Does squishing ants with the screen void the warranty?

Amazingly there is a forum post on this very topic on the apple site. Kinda like this one but with less ant jokes. :)
 
First, I have to say the account was amusing to read. Secondly, if you're having a lot of trouble with ants you can try putting salt around your MBP. It sounds stupid, but that'll definitely discourage them from crawling into your computer.
 
Just wait. If the ants are smelling food (=crumbs) in your laptop, let them go clean it out for you.

They'll stop when there's no reason to enter again.

A couple of days and you'll be free of them.
 
MidwestStuck said:
First, I have to say the account was amusing to read. Secondly, if you're having a lot of trouble with ants you can try putting salt around your MBP. It sounds stupid, but that'll definitely discourage them from crawling into your computer.
Click to expand...

They're also averse to mint.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back