As temperatures start to drop, ladybugs and Asian lady beetles have started to swarm, looking for warm places to camp for the winter. Unfortunately, many share their vacation homes with DePauw students.
“I was in my room and I started noticing little lady bugs crawling into my room, but there were only a few at first,” said sophomore Olivia Page.
During her first year, Page had her fair share of ladybug problems in her room on the third floor of Hogate Hall.
“On one day, in maybe 30 minutes, I caught 40 ladybugs in a water bottle,” she said, “I’ve woken up with them on my face. They would be in my drinks. They were dead everywhere. It was horrible.”
When students say that they have a “ladybug problem,” they are usually referring to Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis), an invasive species that are orange and look like ladybugs. These invaders have a noticeable odor and can stain surfaces with yellow secretions, especially when squished, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Food and Environment.
Although Asian lady beetles have not been known to transmit diseases, recent studies suggest that swarms can spark allergies in some people, causing symptoms ranging from eye irritation to asthma.
As winter approaches in the and the crops get harvested, many bugs including ladybugs, Asian lady beetles and box elder bugs and need a place to go.
“On warm fall days, they swarm,” said Andrea Patrie, office manager for Reliable Exterminators, a business based out of downtown Greencastle that works to eliminate everything from termites to stink bugs.
Reliable Exterminators have worked with DePauw before, and Patrie said that at this time of year demand for their services is high, not only on campus but everywhere.
“Lots of people call and want help,” Patrie said. “They get under the siding [of houses] over winter,” she said, adding that they sometimes blanket the outsides of houses.
First-year Leah Hanstra noticed when bugs started showing up around Lucy Hall two weeks ago.
“I saw tons outside in the entrance of the dorm,” she said. “There are a lot.”
The south quad residence halls are also having trouble keeping the bugs out.
Danielle Smith has already seen ladybugs pop up in her room in Longden over the last month. Her friends in other dorms are faring no better. “I saw some in my friend’s room in Bishop Roberts three,” she said.
Reliable Exterminators’ main tactic in fighting the swarms is largely preventative. Houses and buildings are sprayed with chemicals and pesticides on the outside, so if a bug tries to crawl in it will come in contact with the chemicals and die.
But once the critters make it inside, the game is over.
“There’s not much that can be done,” Patrie said.
That’s what Page discovered: “I called maintenance to have them look at it and the best that they said they could do for me was put tape on my window,” she recalls.
DePauw facilities management failed to respond to repeated calls from The DePauw and were not able to comment.
Unfortunately for Page and many in this buggy situation, it was too little too late, and she lived with them consistently until spring. One of the best ways to get rid of them is vacuuming or sweeping them out. They also are attracted to light and prefer rooms with southern exposure.
As campus begins to chill and heaters start to turn on, keep in mind that you may have some new houseguests. As Patrie puts it: “They are just an outside bug that’s seeking warmth.”