At first, it was cute, lucky even. The little red beetle with black polka dots on its back poked about the building. It buzzed above students and whirled up the stairwells. Then it brought its friends.
Ladybugs have invaded the dorms on UF’s campus. Though they’re considered friends of the garden, at student residence halls, they’re not exactly welcome.
“It’s more annoying than it is a severe issue,” said Chana Camachl, an 18-year-old biology freshman.
Camachl lives at Lakeside Residential Complex. She said the little beetles have made a home out of the area’s common rooms and halls. They wriggle around doorknobs and windowsills, roaming from room to room.
Darrin Qualls, an 18-year-old psychology freshman, lives in Beaty Towers. He said the bugs buzz about his room — benevolent but bothersome.
“They’re pretty much everywhere,” Qualls said.
Sharon Blansett, UF housing spokeswoman, wrote in an email that around this time of year, ladybugs can be found in large quantities on the south sides of UF residence facilities and other buildings. The bugs are seeking warm locations as it cools down outside.
“If they find cracks in the walls, or unsealed areas around AC units or other pipes and wires going into buildings, they will get inside,” Blansett said.
UF entomology professor Norman Leppla said the ladybugs students are encountering in their rooms are probably multicolored Asian lady beetles.
Leppla is also director of the Integrated Pest Management program, which uses a sustainable approach to managing pests. He said the bugs are not harmful to humans, but rather, are beneficial predators that feed on smaller pests.
Blansett said if students notice the bugs in their rooms, they’re encouraged to report them through the online iServiceDesk. Maintenance employees will then come and vacuum the bugs out of the room.
She said no chemicals are used to treat this type of insect.
A ladybug sits on a window in Lakeside Residential Complex Wednesday afternoon. The beetles have invaded residence halls on campus, especially on the buildings’ south sides.
