Today's horror tech story comes from Reddit user UpvotesKitties entitled, 'An ant is stuck inside my monitor and I CAN'T GET RID OF IT.'
As you can see a pesky little critter has decided to ruin this person's day by not just crawling inside their monitor, but also by darting across their screen like it's taunting them. As someone who is as terrified of bugs as much as this lady is afraid of pennies, having a bug crawl across my screen that I can't get rid of would most likely end in me throwing said monitor into a dumpster and lighting it on fire.
An ant is stuck inside my monitor and I CAN'T GET RID OF IT from r/mildlyinfuriating
The issue with bugs getting into your stuff, aside from the obvious cringe factor, is that they could actually cause serious damage to your gear. Bugs have been making their way into PC hardware since the dawn of time. The term 'computer bug' comes from when an actual bug flew into a computer back in the 1940s and we still haven't found a way of keeping them out. The greatest generation, my ass.
What are your options for getting creepy little crawlies out of your gear? You can try a few things. Bugs love crawling into places that give off heat because it's safe and a comfortable spot for laying eggs. This is why routers and larger electronics are prime destinations for six-legged tourists.
You could try turning off the monitor for a few days, making it a less than desirable hang for squishy squatters, and hope they leave of their own accord. Assuming you're not that lucky, you can use compressed air to try to blow the pest away. In cases like the video above, you run the risk of the ant getting stuck and dying where you can see it. If that happens, you can try this trick with a vibrating toothbrush that might wiggle the corpse out of the way. It won't get rid of the body, but at least you won't see it anymore. That's something.
The last thing you want to do is actually try to squish the bug. Then, it'll be next to impossible to clean its smeared corpse without taking apart your monitor, which will surely void your warranty (and frankly is just gross). If that ant is still there, consider that you lost this one and that the monitor is no longer yours. Sorry.
