Pest problem on campus? Bob Andrews to the rescue

Students walking around campus may see a hornet nest or ant mound and not think much of it.

But there are people working to make sure they don’t become a problem to those students. Bob Andrews is one of those people.

“I deal with insects or animals that create a health hazard or are a nuisance to students or staff,” said the Pest Management Specialist for Pest Control.

Andrews was hired full time as a pest management specialist by Residence Life.

Associate Director of Residence Life Joan Schmidt said there has been a pest management specialist on campus for at least 15 years.

“(Bob is) out everyday on campus. He’s kept very busy,” she said. “We’ve got 1,700 residence hall rooms and a little over 400 apartments. It’s a lot of ground to cover.”

College campuses are not strangers to insect infestations.

Many universities throughout the nation have reported a rising problem with bedbugs in the last five years, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

Although CMU hasn’t had a bedbug problem, insect and pest issues still happen occasionally.

“There are a lot of calls with ant issues year round. Bees are more of a seasonal issue,” Andrews said. “Occasionally there are issues with a mouse or ground squirrel.”

Pest issues can also vary wildly with the seasons.

Summer is the busiest time for pest management, Schmidt said.

“This summer we had a problem with bats all over campus,” she said.

In order to prevent larger issues, Residence Life and Facilities Management take several preventive measures.

Building managers are trained to handle pest problems, screens are installed and maintained in residence hall rooms and facilities are sealed during the winter.

“There are issues from time to time. When you have as many people and buildings as we do, you’re bound to have issues with that,” said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management. “But we really don’t have a lot of pest issues.”

Pests can be more than a nuisance on college campuses.

Many insects and animals can transmit diseases and cause problems to buildings and people.

“People are afraid (of insects),” Schmidt said. “Some are allergic to stings and bites, so we have to be very careful.”

Andrews said there are things everyone can do to make these problems more infrequent.

“One easy way to avoid nuisance pest problems would be keeping trash and clutter to a minimum,” he said. “Another thing would be not to prop doors open.”

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