Some unexpected visitors have arrived throughout dorms and are catching students' eyes. Ants are crawling in sinks and bathrooms, which is not a first for the University.
"It's gross to come into my room and have ants crawling across your desk," said Ryan Lewis, psychology freshman and Beauregard Hall resident. "They were all over the place when I first got here."
Steve Waller, associate director of facilities for Residential Life, said in the past the University had ant issues throughout the campus and has had two different pest control policies. This past summer, the pest policy was modified due to a lack of services from the pest control company.
The University uses Ragin Pest Inc. to combat insect problems throughout the campus. The company sprays around the perimeter of the halls twice a year in addition to the doors and windows to help prevent ants entering the dorms.
One of the main reasons the ants enter the dorms is due to moisture. During dry weather seasons, ants enter through water lines, doors and windows.
Although the problem is not fixed, Waller said the number of ant reportings within rooms has decreased.
"For last December in all of the rooms on campus, which is around 2,000 rooms, we had 17 ant cases," Waller said. "The numbers have stayed pretty consistent throughout the last few years."
Cassandra Smith, Residential Life custodian, said ants are mainly throughout the dorm bathrooms, and the problem is sometimes caused by students.
"Students do not treat the dorms like their home," Smith said. "They leave their trash and food everywhere, and this is contributing to the problem."
Residential Life officials encourage students to dispose of trash inside their rooms regularly, as well as to pay attention to crumbs and wet towels. Waller said wet towels are a reason ants will enter dorms because the ants are looking for moisture.
"If students have a problem, they need to let us know," Waller said. "I wonder if students have given up and purchased their own cans of Raid instead of letting us come in and fix the issue."
Waller said when students complain about ants, the pest control company usually resolves the problem within 24 hours.
----- Contact Phillip Trascher at ptrascher@lsureveille.com
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