Many people face ant infestation problems in food items, but a few insects can also reach other non-edible objects like headphones to seek shelter.
Why Are Ants Attracted To Headphones? Ants are attracted to headphones due to dirt, sweaty bands, soft ear cups, chew the internal wires, food residues, and small holes providing entry routes.
Ants probably like to listen to music and get inside the headphones to enjoy the beats, but they are afraid of fast music and leave the spot quickly.
Why do ants get attracted to headphones?
Some people face problems of ant invasions in headphones, which seems an unexpected thing to happen because these insects usually reach wet areas where they can find food to eat.
Dirty and sweaty bands
Many people do not bother cleaning headphones and keep them aside after using them. You should clean them at least once a week to keep them insect-free.
Sweat drops can contaminate the bands, while earwax can accumulate on the earbuds and attract some house pests. Ants can reach there to eat other insects or sweat drops.
The bad odor of dirt and sweat particles can allure their receptors and draw them to these products, so keep them clean and free of dirt to avoid infestation.
Entry holes
They have small holes allowing air to reach inside for better acoustics and are also known as venting holes. They can provide an entry route for smaller insects to pass through them.
Moreover, earphones can become a breeding spot for ants and provide a suitable environment for living and reproducing if they get inside through tiny holes.
They are attracted to narrow spaces and holes to hide. Air can reach their bodies, providing enough oxygen to survive within the earphones.
Ant trails in proximity
Some ants can reach headphones unintentionally when their trails are moving from a close distance. A few of these insects lose trails and move to nearby areas while searching for another trail.
I kept my headphones on a desk and found that almost 10 to 14 ants were crawling close to it. After close observation, I figured out that they probably lost a trail present on the wall.
It does not happen often, but it can be a reason for insects’ presence on the earphones. In addition, they can also be living in nests in other closest areas and randomly reach there during foraging.
Chew internal wires
They have flexible and thin internal wires of different colors that provide strength or support and avoid damage.
Ants are efficient chewing insects that get attracted to wires and reach inside the setup to access these wires. These can cause damage by chewing wires and affect their functioning.
Moreover, they can remove rubber insulation on wires and make them non-functional, so keep the entry spots covered to restrict the entry of insects.
Chew soft ear cups
The headphone’s ear cups are made of synthetic leather and soft in texture, providing a cushioning effect on the ears and a better grip. Ants can get attracted to soft ear cups and chew their flexible part.
They have larger mandibles with curved teeth that can help chew the soft, rubbery material by dipping teeth into it. They relate it to food but avoid its consumption later.
Moreover, they can reach places providing suitable nesting spots and food so they can chew ear cups and make their way inside it.
Presence of scented objects
Some ants can reach headphones without directly aiming at the holes and the sweaty bands if there are scented objects at a close distance.
Sweet and fruity scents of candles can allure these insects and bring them to a table where you have placed these after use.
In addition, some other objects, like scented flowers and plant pots, can also invite these insects, posing a risk of infestation within the earphones.
Residues of food
People probably like to eat sweet or salty snacks while wearing headphones to enjoy music and watch their favorite movies.
These food particles or crumbs of snacks can bring ants onto the table and possibly result in an infestation of insects within earphones, as their nature is to try and get inside holes.
Clean the surface immediately if you spill juice and leave food particles on the table because it takes only a few minutes for ants to reach the dirty places.
How do you know if ants are in headphones?
There are many ways to check the presence of ants in headphones because these annoying insects can get into your ear if you use infested earphones.
Visual observation can help know if these insects live inside, so carefully look at cables and ear pads. You can relate ants coming out of the holes with an internal infestation.
Moreover, they leave pheromones or chemical odors behind them, so you can probably see a trail of insects around the headphones if some of their fellows are present inside.
Some audible signs can also help detect their presence, as you can hear rustling or scratching noises within the earphones.
In addition, the presence of frass or excreta in close proximity to these devices can also be an indicator of their invasion.
You can smell a bad odor as every species of these insects emit a distinct odor. They can also cause malfunctioning by chewing wires, but it comes into notice after a long time of infestation.
How do you get rid of ants in headphones?
It is essential to remove ants from headphones to avoid the risk of bites and stings in the ear because these nuisances can come out of the device when you disturb them while wearing.
Remove them quickly, and carefully inspect them if you hear any rustling sound. Shake it slightly to disturb the insects as they feel threatened due to motion and come out.
In addition, you can cover the earphones with a newspaper and put them in direct sunlight. They do not like direct light and come out within an hour or two.
Wipe it with a damp cloth after dipping it into sanitizer. Clean every corner of the device to remove stains and dirt.
You can prevent undesired entries by sealing the entry spots using tape, as broken cables can give passage to sneak through the tiny spaces.
Pay attention to storage conditions, as dirty boxes or contaminated surfaces can attract insects, so clean the box and remove stains from surfaces to avoid the risk of attack.
Furthermore, it is better to solve the root cause of the problem and look for the infested spots inside the home because the insects can keep coming until you treat their colonies permanently.
Which type of ants are attracted to headphones?
You can find different ants species on headphones as they vary according to the external environment and geographical location.
They are usually infested with indoor species commonly found inside the house and make nests within walls, kitchen cabinets, and under the floor.
Argentine ants can reach there if food crumbs and stains of juice spill are present on the surface. Other moisture-loving ants, like pharaoh or pavement ants, can get closer if there are water drops.
Moreover, the odorous house ants can easily sneak through small holes in earphones and reach the internal wires. Furthermore, crazy and thief ants are also attracted to dirty and sweaty bands.
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