Residents antsy over colonies invading their living space

By Chrissy Braden
Staff Reporter

They started marching one-by-one and quickly became long trails marching along sinks, desks and computers in Moody Hall.

The Worth Hills residence hall — which houses Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Zeta Tau Alpha sororities — is infested with pharaoh ants, also known as sugar ants, and Argentine ants, said Buck Fielding, assistant director of building maintenance.

Fielding said the ants may have made their nests in the attic of Moody Hall.

Myra Jane Daddario, a sophomore nursing major, said people in her hall had ants in their freezers and beds when they moved back into their rooms this semester.

Erica Markell, a sophomore elementary education major, said she has found ants in drawers and around her sink.

“I killed colonies, I swear, when I first moved in,” Markell said. Markell is facing a tough battle.

Pharaoh ants are the most difficult and persistent of all household ants to control, according to Landers Pest Control Inc.’s Web site, (www.landerspestcontrol.com).

Chrissy Braden/STAFF REPORTER Catherine Huffman, a sophomore nutrition major, sets up an ant trap in her room in Moody Hall. Students in the residence hall have complained about the constant problems with ants found throughout the building.

According to the Web site, the ants depend on artificial heating in human dwellings to survive and will nest in any well-protected and hidden areas throughout a structure.

Although students have been dealing with the ants since last year, Fielding said the problem has a long-term solution.
He said each residence hall is inspected once a month and each time complaints are made for ants.

“I send Terminix a fax when there’s a complaint,” Fielding said. “We treat them with a low-impact chemical so that we don’t put things out there that are worse than the ants.”

Fielding said several types of bait are used to kill the ant colonies, not just the ants that are visible. He said the ants eat the bait and trail it to their nests.

Cinnamon Stanley, a sophomore fashion promotion major, said she has seen ants crawl across her laptop computer when she is typing.

“I would like to see each dorm provided with ant killer,” Stanley said. “They should give all of the (resident assistants) some. We shouldn’t have to pay for it.”

Fielding said residents should call him or Terminix to report any problems and not treat the problem on their own.

“It helps a lot if residents don’t keep food out and don’t spray them,” he said.

Spraying the ants disrupts treatments through the low-impact baits to the colonies, Fielding said.

Some students are not satisfied with the way the ant problem is being treated and have bought their own ant baits.

Markell said she put out her own ant traps, and the ants have started dying.

“I’m killing them my own way,” Markell said. “I’m my own little exterminator, and I’m trying to find the source.”

Markell said she didn’t know what else could be done.

“I just sit back with my 409 and kill them,” she said.

Chrissy Braden
l.c.braden@student.tcu.edu