By: Robert Barrington, Ad Editor
Crazy ants have invaded Southern Florida and have made their way to the SLU campus.
“We need to let everybody know, we need your help; this is something that can get really bad,” said Jose Caban, Director of Plant Operations. Caban wants staff and students to make sure they don’t leave any food out. “Ants are looking for any food, and if they find it, they are going to invade the area. If you see any ants, please contact plant operations” said Caban.
These flea size ants are called crazy ants because they run at speeds that make normal ants seem like they are running in slow motion. Colonies contain more than one queen, and can infest areas in a short amount of time. “In one area on campus, the infestation was so bad and the numbers so large, that the ground appeared to be moving. In one room there appeared to be dirt on the ground, but upon closer inspection, it was a pile of dead ants,” said Caban.
Students have complained about finding ants in their dorms, on their beds and even in their refrigerators. Upon inspection of the rooms, plant operations had found piles of trash on the floor, and food that had been left out. “We told the students to make sure they clean the room, get all the trash out, and we will have the pest control spray the rooms, address the hallways and eventually work their way down and push the ants outside away from the buildings. It is specific buildings we are addressing: I have Henderson, Benoit, Snyder, Building 3, and Building 4. It is specific to an area in which people are eating and not cleaning up their trash immediately. Students, instead of taking their trash to the dumpster, are leaving it outside against their building or stuffing it in the trash can that is designed for small particles. By doing that, you just supplied a food source to the ants,” said Caban.
There have also been reports of ants invading cars in the parking lot. If you leave your car parked on campus, please make sure you don’t leave any garbage or food in it. According to Caban, there was an incident in which a student had complained about having ants in her car. “Upon inspection, there were candy bars and other food left in the car, and the air conditioning vents had ants coming out of them,” said Caban.
“Crazy ants do not come in single file, they swarm. This is not something we are going to get rid overnight. We are going out immediately and addressing the problem, not only is the pest control company dealing with the interior, but they are heavily treating the exterior, and trying to bait the ants off campus,” said Caban. Crazy ants are very resilient and they multiply very rapidly. Plant operations do not want to put bait out weeks on end, so it is very crucial that everyone do their part and clean up after themselves. It is going to take a team effort to get rid of the crazy ant problem, and Jose Caban and Plant Operations need your help.
