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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.13 03:50:00 -
[1]
I came home yesterday evening to find that there was a small crumb of tortilla chip that a hundred little ants had taken interest in. This tortilla crumb happened to be half a foot away from my headset.
Not thinking much of it, I set aside the headset, cleaned up the crumbs a bit, and squished a few ants to deter any future activity (ants release a special chemical when they die that warns other ants not to go there anymore).
After playing a bit of Eve, I noticed an occasional crackling sound in my headset. I took it off and jiggled it a bit, which resulted in an ant or two coming out of it to have a look around. Vigorous shaking resulted in a decent number more coming out. I couldn't think of what to do with it, so I left the headset in the middle of my dry bathtub in the hopes that whatever ants had wandered in there would wander out again and go someplace else.
Today I returned home and found the bottom of my bathtub littered with ants. They were crawling all over the place. I've come to the conclusion that they've built their colony inside the headset.
I can't think of any effective way to remove these ants. What can I do? It's a $150 headset from Logitech, so I don't want to just go and buy a new one just yet. Being Logitech, it has no screws or any way to open it up aside from dashing it upon the floor.
TL;DR: There are ants in my headset. How might I remove them?
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Alpheias
Euphoria Released
WE FORM VOLTRON
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Posted - 2011.02.13 03:54:00 -
[2]
With fire. Kill it with fire! |
Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.13 03:56:00 -
[3]
 Originally by: Alpheias
With fire. Kill it with fire!
I'm actually considering sealing it in an enclosed container and filling the container with smoke.
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Alotta Baggage
Amarr
Imperial Manufactorum
Armada Assail
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Posted - 2011.02.13 03:57:00 -
[4]
Submerge it in bleach!
Originally by: Magnus Andronicus
ur character looks like a f***ing clown dude.
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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:05:00 -
[5]
Edited by: Vicker Lahn''se on 13/02/2011 04:07:38
Originally by: Alotta Baggage
Submerge it in bleach!
Well, the goal is to not ruin the headset, but you did give me an interesting idea. Submerging it in mineral oil would kill the ants without damaging the electronics, but it would leave residue all over it afterwords. Are there any cheap, non-polar solvents with a very high vapor pressure?
Edit: Perhaps I can get my hands on some hexane...
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dr cisco
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:09:00 -
[6]
Edited by: dr cisco on 13/02/2011 04:09:47
get a large airtight bag
put the headset in the bag
spray some bug killing spray inside
seal the bag
let sit for a few hours.
remove from bag
shake dead ants out.
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Alotta Baggage
Amarr
Imperial Manufactorum
Armada Assail
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:14:00 -
[7]
Probably the best way would be to take the headset apart and manually get the little ants out? Then you can put one of their heads on a toothpick and leave it out as a warning to other ants
Originally by: Magnus Andronicus
ur character looks like a f***ing clown dude.
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Rawr Cristina
Caldari
Sleeping Fury
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:18:00 -
[8]
Well at least they didn't 'have a look around' whilst you were wearing them. Just thinking about it makes me itchy 
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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:22:00 -
[9]
Originally by: Rawr Cristina
Well at least they didn't 'have a look around' whilst you were wearing them. Just thinking about it makes me itchy
Yeah... My first indication that they were in the headset was the sound of them moving around in there.
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Zhim'Fufu
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Posted - 2011.02.13 04:41:00 -
[10]
Stick it in a bag and put it in the freezer overnight.
Originally by: Response to bitter carebear tears in local
[19:44:46] CCP Incognito > sorry i can't talk about game mechanics. you need to use your brains and figure it out.
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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.13 08:22:00 -
[11]
Originally by: Zhim'Fufu
Stick it in a bag and put it in the freezer overnight.
Simple and effective. Finding a bag and doing that now.
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Feilamya
Pain Elemental
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Posted - 2011.02.13 10:39:00 -
[12]
Originally by: Vicker Lahn'se
Originally by: Alpheias
With fire. Kill it with fire!
I'm actually considering sealing it in an enclosed container and filling the container with smoke.
Sounds like the best idea to me.
If you kill them while they are still inside the headset, then good luck getting all the dead ants out. It's better to make them crawl out on their own.
On the other hand, since there is smoke outside as well, this might not work.
How about using some kind of bait?
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Alotta Baggage
Amarr
Imperial Manufactorum
Armada Assail
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Posted - 2011.02.13 10:57:00 -
[13]
Originally by: Feilamya
Originally by: Vicker Lahn'se
Originally by: Alpheias
With fire. Kill it with fire!
I'm actually considering sealing it in an enclosed container and filling the container with smoke.
Sounds like the best idea to me.
If you kill them while they are still inside the headset, then good luck getting all the dead ants out. It's better to make them crawl out on their own.
On the other hand, since there is smoke outside as well, this might not work.
How about using some kind of bait?
Honestly, I'd just go get another massively expensive muc and this time don't let the ants in
Originally by: Magnus Andronicus
ur character looks like a f***ing clown dude.
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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.14 03:58:00 -
[14]
Originally by: Alotta Baggage
Originally by: Feilamya
Originally by: Vicker Lahn'se
Originally by: Alpheias
With fire. Kill it with fire!
I'm actually considering sealing it in an enclosed container and filling the container with smoke.
Sounds like the best idea to me.
If you kill them while they are still inside the headset, then good luck getting all the dead ants out. It's better to make them crawl out on their own.
On the other hand, since there is smoke outside as well, this might not work.
How about using some kind of bait?
Honestly, I'd just go get another massively expensive muc and this time don't let the ants in
Yeah... Well, the headset is in a bag in my freezer right now, but I'm giving serious thought to the idea of just getting a new headset. I'm sure the ants are dead now, but that thought of it having dead ants inside makes me less inclined to put it on my head.
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Graelyn
Amarr
Deus Imperiosus Acies
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Posted - 2011.02.14 04:25:00 -
[15]
Wow, this reminds me of something that happened to me once.
I lived in Guam for a while, and ants were a primal force of nature, invading entire buildings with abandon.
One day, I sat down at my computer, logged into Windows, and put in my password.
Apparently, while eating at the keyboard over the years, lots of crumbs got in through the keys. The local ant armada had moved in on this.
Upon hitting the first few keys, hundreds of ants swarmed out over all the keys. It was like some bad acid trip imagery, and I freaked, chucking the keyboard across the room, where all the keys and the ants all flew off in a bunch of different directions. It was not a cheap keyboard, and I shattered it.
The lesson: Don't eat around your PC equipment!
----------------
Minister of Communications - xDIAx
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Lady Skank
Ban Evasion inc
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Posted - 2011.02.14 04:26:00 -
[16]
I hate you OP, after reading this thread I have an epic itch in my ear that I cannot get rid of. The idea of ants in ears made my skin crawl.
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Chainsaw Plankton
IDLE GUNS
IDLE EMPIRE
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Posted - 2011.02.14 05:02:00 -
[17]
Originally by: Lady Skank
I hate you OP, after reading this thread I have an epic itch in my ear that I cannot get rid of. The idea of ants in ears made my skin crawl.
better ants than spiders... or is it?
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Sturmwolke
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Posted - 2011.02.14 05:14:00 -
[18]
Edited by: Sturmwolke on 14/02/2011 05:18:36
Peppermint oil or peppermint leaves. Odor warfare.
Bag the headset with the above but leave holes for the ants to leave.
"It was actually somewhat fascinating to find out what ants really hate: cucumbers, peppermint, cayenne oil, citrus oil, and coffee grounds. Put those products near where ants are coming in and they will evidently stay away. Even more elaborate solutions included commercial clove oil (I think thatĘs whatĘs on the dogą.), sugar/water/borax and a yogurt container (although I noted a range of opinions on the safety of borax) can kill the whole nest; and even grits?!"
http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2010/07/surviving-carpenter-ants-armed-only-with-peppermint-oil/
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Vicker Lahn'se
Minmatar
STRAG3S
STRAG3S.INC
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Posted - 2011.02.14 05:50:00 -
[19]
Originally by: Sturmwolke
Edited by: Sturmwolke on 14/02/2011 05:18:36
Peppermint oil or peppermint leaves. Odor warfare.
Bag the headset with the above but leave holes for the ants to leave.
"It was actually somewhat fascinating to find out what ants really hate: cucumbers, peppermint, cayenne oil, citrus oil, and coffee grounds. Put those products near where ants are coming in and they will evidently stay away. Even more elaborate solutions included commercial clove oil (I think thatĘs whatĘs on the dogą.), sugar/water/borax and a yogurt container (although I noted a range of opinions on the safety of borax) can kill the whole nest; and even grits?!"
http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2010/07/surviving-carpenter-ants-armed-only-with-peppermint-oil/
I wish you posted that before I froze all the ants. Oh well.
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yani dumyat
Minmatar
Tribal Liberation Force
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Posted - 2011.02.14 13:07:00 -
[20]
Originally by: Vicker Lahn'se
I'm sure the ants are dead now, but that thought of it having dead ants inside makes me less inclined to put it on my head.
Opening a sealed headset is easy, though sometimes a little time consuming.
1) Remove any soft bits from the area you want to work on, if it's the earpieces and they are glued on then use a stanley knife or scalpel to cut the glue. If the centre band is causing problems you may need to cut it off with a view to sewing it back together later.
2 )Take a plastic saw or hacksaw and carefully cut in to the area you wish to work on, without seeing your headphones it's hard to give exact instructions but in general:
To cut the main band in two, keep rotating the headset as you cut so that you don't sever the wires inside. If you're not confident of cutting in a straight line then draw a line round the headset first.
For the band you should remember that it needs to retain its strength when put back together, avoid cutting along seams, bends or other obvious stress points. Better to do two cuts with one just above each ear piece than one in the centre, this is because the centre of the band need to flex when taking the headphones on or off.
Once open you'll find there's a bit of play in the wires, this should be plenty enough to let you clean the band out with pipe cleaners and/or compressed air.
If you've accidentally cut the wires then use a soldering iron to put them back together. If you don't have a soldering iron then strip the outer away, twist the wires together and use electricians tape to hold them in place.
To open the earpieces you'll need to use common sense to determine if you should cut round the seam or cut them in half along the diameter of the earpiece, cutting round the seam is usually the better bet.
3) Clean or work on your headphones, can't say I've ever had to remove an ant colony before so you're on your own with that one.
4) To put them back together araldite is by far my favorite glue, though it helps to have a vice to hold the headset in while the glue sets. It's more fiddly than superglue but will give a better join.
If you've cut round the seam of the earpieces you may find you've removed too much material for them to fit back together properly, this is unlikely but can be remedied quite easily with duct tape. How neat the duct tape looks will depend on your minmatar engineering skills. (hint, lots of cuts along each side of the tape will allow it to sit neatly on a curved surface).
5) Tidy up, glue can be tidied up with a fine file, if your partner has a nail file then it will be ideal. She won't thank you for using it but you will have neat headphones.
Replace the soft bits, ideally these will cover as much of your fixes as possible.
As always a combination of common sense, google and planning ahead is the key to a good bodge. Hope that helps 
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Yakoff
Alcatraz Inc.
Tactical Narcotics Team
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Posted - 2011.02.14 20:22:00 -
[21]
Man, this reminds me of the one time I was visiting Ceti Alpha V. Khan put these eel like things in my ear.
___
It deosnt mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, olny taht the frist and lsat leettr be in the rghit pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef. |
Candy Munch Xadi
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Posted - 2011.02.14 20:55:00 -
[22]
Clean your room up, thow out the head set and buy a new one...
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Istvaan Shogaatsu
Caldari
Guiding Hand Social Club
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Posted - 2011.02.14 21:37:00 -
[23]
Submit to the ants. Surrender to them. Put the headphones on. Keep them on. Allow the ants to colonize your skull. Become a walking screaming hive for their innumerable young. All the cool kids are doing it.
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Karma
Vortex Incorporated
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Posted - 2011.02.15 10:49:00 -
[24]
if there are that many ants in there, then a few ants probably migrated a queen-larva in there and she's now grown... getting her out the way she came in is probably not possible.
the most 'effective' way is probably kill with bug spray or such, and then take apart, clean and put it back together again.
If you're in a more experimental mood; Find out if there are any frequencies of sound that ants *hate* ... put it through the headphones and voila, the ants leave by their own accord.
I don't actually know if ants have ears though... but sound causes vibrations as well.
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