When biology freshman Nick Kallay came to LSU, he was unaware of the prominence of cockroaches in Louisiana.
He said he often sees them in the Quad and emphasized that their movement alarms him.
“It’s a terrifying thing when you see cockroaches running at you,” Kallay said.
Being from Virginia, he said seeing roaches frequently is a new experience for him and took him by surprise, and although he’s seen many cockroaches outside, he has not seen any in his dorm.
While many in-state students may be accustomed to roaches and their presence on campus, other members of the LSU community might not be. Louisiana is home to many cockroach species, and understanding why and how to combat them can help put students at ease.
Aaron Ashbrook, an assistant professor at LSU’s Department of Entomology, said there are several reasons why there are so many cockroaches in Louisiana, the most prominent being the warm, swamp-like weather needed by cockroaches to survive. This weather lasts for most of the year, so roaches are able to survive outdoors. Louisiana also has many decaying organic plant materials, which serve as a roach’s primary source of food.
Ashbrook further discussed that cockroach populations are beginning to peak at this time due to the end of a hot summer and constant rain. However, he expects less cockroach activity near the winter months as Louisiana cools off.
To combat cockroaches entering your home or dorm, Ashbrook advises students to “use a variety of insecticide sprays, baits and dusts that are approved for cockroach control.”
Tammy Millican is the executive director of facility and property oversight and the campus authority on this issue. She said that Facility Services has recently realized the increase in roaches on campus, especially during wetter months. She said that to survive heavy rainfall, these roaches may be seen inside the buildings, seeking out shelter.
“As drier weather patterns emerge, students, faculty and staff should see less roaches inside buildings and outside,” Millican said.
She also said that the campus building services have ordered pest control companies to treat the interior of buildings to deal with this ongoing issue.
The landscape services have also been called to spray the campus grounds, combating roaches, fire ants and any other bugs that linger outside LSU’s campus, according to Millican.
Political science freshman Matthew Pellittieri is from Ponchatoula, Louisiana. He said that he grew up watching cockroaches coming out of walls and up from under the ground.
He said that LSU’s campus is a much more civilized area with less of a cockroach problem compared to other parts of Louisiana.
Pellittieri advises students to “watch where you’re going and tell whoever is on campus that is responsible for managing the cockroach problem.”
