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ONLINE 01-DEC-00 Cold weather, construction bring ants by Rachel Shiffrin Thresher staff rob gaddi/Thresher These ants, seen on the rim of a College Food Service plastic cup in the Sid Richardson College Commons, were attracted to the sugary soda left in the cup. Ants have invaded residential colleges and other buildings on campus in the past few weeks because of construction and unseasonably cold weather, Housing Operations Manager Loretta Pisegna said. "I can't think of one building on campus we haven't had a complaint in," she said. Pisegna said the good news is that no fire ants have been reported and the problem seems to be only intermittent. For example, there could be a problem on one floor of a building despite none of the other floors reported being affected. Also, the ants seem to move on quickly, she said. However, Pisegna said there is no easy way to alleviate the problem. An extermination company does regular perimeter sprays on all buildings, but Pisegna said even a small amount of rain dilutes the spray, making it ineffective. The company will also spray individual rooms by student request, but there is often so much clutter on the floors of student rooms that a thorough job cannot be done and the problem persists, interim Assistant Director of Housing Operations Frank Rodriguez said. Construction on campus has disrupted the ants' natural habitat, Pisegna said. "The vibrations in the ground because of the construction tends to bring the ants out of those areas," Rodriguez said. Also, extensive digging has displaced the ants from their habitats. "The main problem will not stop until the digging stops," Pisegna said. "As long as all that is going on, there will be a disruption." The problem has also been caused by uncontrollable factors like weather. According to Assistant Maintenance Coordinator Ken Thompson, last summer's dry weather was perfect for the ants to multiply. Lately, heavy rains have been causing ants to search for nesting sites inside buildings. Pisegna said unseasonably cold weather has also been driving the ants inside. "These are Texas ants - they don't like cold, so they try to come in," she said. Most years, the ants don't invade until winter break when most students are away. Students who notice ant problems can contact work@rice.edu. - back - Search the Thresher pages: Enter your search terms: Copyright © 2000 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu