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Ants: The Silent Aerobic System Destroyers
Ants can wreak havoc to the electrical components of your aerobic system. But there’s good news! You can protect your system with minimal time and expense.
System Issues
There’s no doubt ants seem to gravitate towards electrical components. Some of these components include the control box, electrical board, timer, alarms, wiring, junction boxes, aerator pump and much more! According to BusinessInsider.com, ants “are probably attracted to the magnetic fields or heat from the electronics. When they make their way to electrical equipment, they chew through wires and electrocute themselves, which makes them release a compound that attracts other ants, in an effort to call for help.” No wonder they seem to grow out of control so quickly!
Safety issues
Not only can ants damage your electrical components, they also pose a safety hazard to the technicians servicing the system. If the ants are excessive, they may even prevent your system from being serviced fully. Whether a technician is allergic to ants or not, they should not be subject to ant bites due to neglect in the care of ant control by the homeowner.
Ant spray or ant bait?
Ant spray is useful for killing ants quickly after contact, but the spray could also damage electrical components. Therefore, we generally recommend ant bait for controlling ants as the bait is taken back to the nest and kills the entire colony. Don’t want to take the chance? If you want to sprinkle some ant bait around your system as a preventative measure, that will work too!
It’s up to you
Homeowners can apply inexpensive ant control throughout the year to prevent the ants from causing much larger expenses like replacement of components.
Remember, your aerobic system is yours. What happens between services is not in the control of the service technician. Tip: When you add chlorine to your system (which should be done regularly and between service visits), make it a point to check for ants around your tanks, control box and aerator.