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

Can macbook pro attract ants ?

This is more serious than anyone reading down this far probably wants to hear, but I actually had to replace my 12" PowerBook G4 LCD because an ant crawled inside of it.

While I was using the machine, I saw an ant crawling up the screen, and I tried to brush it off. I was startled when that didn't work, but yes, the ant was inside the LCD (above the image but under the plastic top layer). It made it within an inch of the top of the screen and then, for whatever reason, died. In a lifetime of using computers, it's the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.

I spent days trying everything I could think of to get it out of there without success. I dismantled the machine, removed the LCD, and tried again to remove it, but no luck. I ended up buying a replacement display on eBay.

I think I still have the panel somewhere, and the last time I looked it was still lodged in there, despite it having been over a year.

Even though it happened to me, I wouldn't call it anything but a rare oddity. The house I was living in at the time had a pretty major ant problem too.
 
elschus said:
This is more serious than anyone reading down this far probably wants to hear, but I actually had to replace my 12" PowerBook G4 LCD because an ant crawled inside of it.

While I was using the machine, I saw an ant crawling up the screen, and I tried to brush it off. I was startled when that didn't work, but yes, the ant was inside the LCD (above the image but under the plastic top layer). It made it within an inch of the top of the screen and then, for whatever reason, died. In a lifetime of using computers, it's the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.

I spent days trying everything I could think of to get it out of there without success. I dismantled the machine, removed the LCD, and tried again to remove it, but no luck. I ended up buying a replacement display on eBay.

I think I still have the panel somewhere, and the last time I looked it was still lodged in there, despite it having been over a year.

Even though it happened to me, I wouldn't call it anything but a rare oddity. The house I was living in at the time had a pretty major ant problem too.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the original computer bug.

The invention of the term is often erroneously attributed to Grace Hopper, who publicized the cause of a malfunction in an early electromechanical computer.[4] A typical version of the story is given by this quote:

“In 1946, when Hopper was released from active duty, she joined the Harvard Faculty at the Computation Laboratory where she continued her work on the Mark II and Mark III. Operators traced an error in the Mark II to a moth trapped in a relay, coining the term bug. This bug was carefully removed and taped to the log book September 9th 1945 [sic]. Stemming from the first bug, today we call errors or glitch's [sic] in a program a bug."[5]
Click to expand...

In loosely related news, has anyone else found that in Leopard, in Dictionary.app, if you're not at the top of a page, and you click and drag the mouse anywhere at all, regardless of distance or direction, it starts slowly scrolling up until you release?
 
Funny thread. But it's also not the first I've heard of this (ants going into computers). I can't remember when I first did. Made me check my laptop for ants occasionally, but phew, so far so good.
 
Didn't we just hear this a few months ago?

Computers can get ants if you drop food in them. As a Mac tech, I've seen computers with ant colonies in them, not fun.

But no, by itself a Macbook Pro can't attract ants.
 
lol.. nice laid back thread, a bit different from all the snow leopard vs windows 7 threads going on atm. lol :)

Imagine it, an ant goes in through the back of your MBP n gets caught in the fan, going in the middle of a race on Need for Speed, the fans are right up there at 6000 odd RPM and then the thing overheats, and dies!

It sounds like it could be a serious problem.. i jest, honest i do! lol :p

Im just worried that some people might actually begin to wonder if this actually is the macbooks fault lol :s

PTP
 
MWPULSE said:
lol.. nice laid back thread, a bit different from all the snow leopard vs windows 7 threads going on atm. lol :)

Imagine it, an ant goes in through the back of your MBP n gets caught in the fan, going in the middle of a race on Need for Speed, the fans are right up there at 6000 odd RPM and then the thing overheats, and dies!

It sounds like it could be a serious problem.. i jest, honest i do! lol :p

Im just worried that some people might actually begin to wonder if this actually is the macbooks fault lol :s

PTP
Click to expand...

Laid back????
This is freaking me out because there are ants crawling all around my iMac on the desk DDD:
 
This happened to me when I had iAttrackants installed in my PB. the only way I got rid of them was by getting iAntzapper ($9.99 @ the apple store), got rid of all the ants.














:p
 
devburke said:
Hm...what about something like army ants? They're stronger, aren't they? Maybe you could fit enough of those under the MBP to carry it. I'm kinda disappointed in our findings so far.
Click to expand...

Have you considered some other form of insect life capable of doing the lifting?
 
shambo said:
Have you considered some other form of insect life capable of doing the lifting?
Click to expand...

I believe rhinoceros beetles are supposed to be the stronger living thing (when compared to size). Surely they could carry a Macbook Pro?
 
Ants are also attracted to aluminum and glossy displays. And watch out if you have a dedicated graphics card - they go crazy for that ****.

Well, say your macbook does indeed have food in it. Wouldn't you welcome the ants' visit? Put 'em to work and lettem clean your computer!
 
Cosmotose said:
Ants are also attracted to aluminum and glossy displays. And watch out if you have a dedicated graphics card - they go crazy for that ****.

Well, say your macbook does indeed have food in it. Wouldn't you welcome the ants' visit? Put 'em to work and lettem clean your computer!
Click to expand...

In all seriousness though, you should be safe if you have a Macbook Air, as ants tend to mainly be attracted to the Superdrive. They still like to buy CDs, and without a way to listen to them on the MBA, the ants have no interest.
 
well I have some ants in my room from time to time and they seem to crawl in and out of my mbp. I am worried that they will short something sometime... It's too easy for them to crawl underneath the keys. Going to have to get a keypad protector to stop them crawling under... and yes I should clean my room thoroughly too :p
 
Get some molten chocolate and some forceps, sit by your MBP and wait for the lil buggers to attempt to enter said computer and grab them with the forceps, dip them in the chocolate and "Poof" you got yourself a free lunch!
 
devburke said:
I believe rhinoceros beetles are supposed to be the stronger living thing (when compared to size). Surely they could carry a Macbook Pro?
Click to expand...

One rhinoceros beetle can lift about .24 kg, so since a MBP weights 2.5kg, 11 of those beetles could potentially steal your MBP if you're not careful!
 
Lol funny you mention this. About a month ago we had an ant infestation due to some granola bar or something being left on a table. We killed most the them but were finding ants for weeks afterwards. Near the end of it though we were usually finding them on my gf's macbook unibody. One ant crawled in to the keyboard and she freaked out yelling it would kill her computer, but it came back out to meet an untimely end...

They are probably just more noticeable on the aluminum than on most of the darker objects around the room...
 
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