As the weather turns colder, small orange and black boxelder bugs have been crawling over windows, lounging around building entrances and moving into the residence halls.
Todd Justesen, the associate director of Housing and Residential Education, said the amount of boxelder bugs on campus is actually a part of a normal cycle, though it may seem like there have been more this year. He said the bugs are looking for warmth as the temperature drops, leading them to land on mortar and brick, where the most heat can be absorbed.
“You’ll find that they’re going to traditionally be on the walls that face the south where the winter sun hits because it provides a warm environment,” he said.
HRE does maintenance work to control the levels of boxelder bugs on campus. Justesen said the bugs and the places they congregate are targeted with a water and soap spray. Because boxelder bugs have a waxy layer on their exterior, the soap breaks down that protection and they die of excess exposure to either the heat or the cold.
Justesen said one way students can keep the bugs outside of their room is by making sure there is proper sealing on windows and by keeping the screens on. If the window sealing in a student’s dorm is cracked and bugs are getting in, he said students can file a maintenance report, which can be done online through a link on HRE’s website. This maintenance is included in student fees.
“We do not charge the students,” Justesen said. “It’s anticipated. It’s like snow removal. It’s already known that it’s going to happen, so you make sure you get it done.”
Although boxelder bugs are annoying, Justesen said they’re “harmless.” They don’t bite, aren’t poisonous and don’t cause damage to buildings. He said some international and out-of-state students sometimes confuse boxelder bugs with more harmful bugs, such as a bed bugs, cockroaches and beetles. To avoid the mistaken identity, HRE sends out information to students.
Kalebb Howell, a freshman in chemical engineering, said he sees the bugs around campus and is glad they haven’t gotten into his Chapel Glen room yet.
“They’re everywhere. They’re annoying, and they crawl over everything,” he said. “I saw them over in the corner [of the Heritage Center] last night when I was doing homework.”
Audrey Bradshaw, a senior in film and media studies, said while she no longer lives in the Donna Garff Marriott Honors Community, she has noticed the bugs and thinks there are more than previous years.
“It’s just really gross,” she said. “I can’t stand it. And then there’ll be a bunch of dead ones on the ground the next day.”
Bradshaw said she thinks the dead bugs will leave a bad impression on people visiting campus. However, once the temperature starts to drop significantly with winter, the number of bugs will begin to decrease.
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