Computer eating ants!

I don't know if anyone has posted this but I searched and found nothing. I don't know if it's relevant or not but I sure thought it was interesting. Here's the article:

Ants Invade Houston, Eat Computers

DALLAS — In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers.

Terrosit attack? nah.. more like some type of mutant ant due to pollution. I'm not a biologist but... why the heck would ants eat circuits?

reply to post by jamiros


Interesting post OP. I'm not positive why they would eat the circuits, but I do know many insects/bugs are attracted to electrical currents. The sounds and electrical/magnetic fields that surround circuitry may induce an aggressive response in the ants which leads to the attacking of the circuits. Living organisms produce electric currents in their bodies as well.. The ants might think the circuitry to be a predator or animal of some sort. My 2 cents.

[edit on 2-6-2008 by ZiggyMojo]

I remember something like this with Mercedes autos. The rubber compound used by them at the time was a real delicacy for the rats in the world. They could literally strip every rubber gasket and hose from the cars in one night. Drove the dealerships nuts for a few weeks till they figured it out. Cost them a bunch of dinero also!!

Zindo

[edit on 6/2/2008 by ZindoDoone]

There are bugs that have the ability to live off of electrical equipment, i mind seeing a news story somewhere about a hospital having to close a ward due to an insect invasion where the insects were damaging electical systems and computers, i think it was some type of mite that caused the problem. will browse the net and see if i can find it,


Wee Mad Mental

This became a topic today at work because we're creating an enclosure for some circuits and someone talked about these ants. I think it's weird that they eat circuits sounds fictional he he he.

I thought this line was funny:

Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

It just reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull with the ants...

reply to post by jamiros


I do telecommunications for a living. One day I opened a lid on an vault cover and found it filled with an ant mound. I had to dig out the ant hill before I could find the damaged cable.

What I found sent a chill down my spine. The cable had been disintegrated completely with the exception of the copper center conductor which had hundreds of nick marks in it. The frayed edges of the cable jacket when observed closely had thousands of little nicks and holes from ant pincers. Apparently the cable was on the way.

It reminded me of something I saw in a horror film once.

reply to post by clay2 baraka


Telecommunications myself too

Wow, that's pretty wicked Well, hopefully this will get treated before they get here to Colorado. Need to consider this in the enclosure design. By the way, isn't the plastic covering polyethylene?

This morning our kitchen sink was invaded by ants. We haven't had ants for some time now. They were coming from the outlet and going for my son's liquid Tylenol which was closed. Husband said they were going for it because it is sweet. Now it's almost midnight and they're coming back again. I didn't know ants worked nights.