Did you hear about the crickets? More specifically, the crickets infested with parasites that turned them into literal zombies? Rasleen Grewal ‘20 hadn’t either until she stumbled upon one shortly after moving in this past fall. In her first encounter with the bug, at a loss for what else to do, she vacuumed it up and hoped for the best. Yet as the days went on and her roommates moved in, they began finding them “at least once a morning,” she recalls.
“We starting killing them, and noticed some sort of worm come out,” Grewal says. At that point, she realized it was time to call in Plant Ops for assistance.
When Plant Ops arrived at Grewal’s living space, she recalls “they sealed the baseboard of the walls to cover any holes in the floor or wall, and set cricket traps in the most humid areas where they were most likely to persist.” Grewal and her roommates also invested in a dehumidifier and have not seen these crickets since this initial incident, nor have they heard of another cricket appearing in the building.
A happy ending to a terrifying tale for Grewal, but for plant ops, the removal of pests is a part of their day-to-day operations. Plant Ops receives requests for assistance with pest predicaments year round. According to Brett Fulton, assistant director of Plant Ops, last year alone they received over 80 requests for help with various levels of pest infestations — the most common were mice and ants.
Fulton remembers an incident they dealt with where the pest was a little larger than their regular culprits.
“I was truly traumatized by this experience. But Plant Ops were very nice and willing to help our situation.”
“This past winter we had a problem with squirrels in one of the MILE properties,” says Fulton. “Squirrels had gotten into the attic and basement of the house, and were noisy and disruptive to the students.”
As an unusual occurrence for Plant Ops, they needed a few attempts to land on the most effective plan. Eventually, Fulton says, “we had to bring in our pest control company and their expert, who set several traps to capture the squirrels. They removed six squirrels — four in one day — and transported them to a wooded area outside of the city.”
The arrival of spring here in the Lehigh Valley also brings rain (leading to the promised May flowers) and also bugs, small rodents and other pests. This raises the question of how the College prevents and removes pests. For Plant Ops, the answer is clear: they try everything before using chemicals. This includes the physical removal of pests, as they did with the squirrels, and creating undesirable conditions for the pests, as they did with the zombie crickets.
When they do use pesticides, they use EcoVia G. This pesticide is considered “botanical” or “green,” and is thus safer for the environment. However, the active ingredients of this pesticide, such as thyme oil, can cause irritation to exposed skin or eyes. Plant Ops strives to use this chemical as little as possible on and around campus.
“Interior rooms are not sprayed,” explains Fulton, although “some of the building perimeters are treated.”
One of the most effective ways to avoid pests is to take preventative measures. In anticipation of the lanternfly hatch this spring, Plant Ops spent time over the winter months removing lanternfly egg masses from trees. If the population of the fly continues to grow exponentially, they will begin to treat the trees they swarm to with chemical means, but for now, Plant Ops has used only physical preventative steps against the invasive species.
Grewal expresses her gratitude for Plant Ops, saying, “I was truly traumatized by this experience. But Plant Ops were very nice and willing to help our situation. They let us know the exact steps they took and checked in with us after to make sure this situation was under control.”
As students emerge from their oversized teddy coats, impatient for summer, little critters are also beginning to wake up and cause nuisances. Luckily, Plant Ops has it covered. Looking ahead, Fulton recommends “keeping your living areas clean and free of trash and debris… it minimizes the attractiveness of the trash to the pest.”
While we don’t mind the occasional cricket or Muhlen-squirrel on our walk to class, we prefer that they don’t take up residence in our rooms.
