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Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper vol. 164, issue 19 Women’s soccer clinches second They’re back: Ladybugs and lady beetles hit campus conference championship Tuesday, november 10, 2015
REBECA BAGDOCIMO / THE DEPAUW
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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
Ladybugs cont. on pg. 4