Residents of Delta Terrace are facing more than just the usual dorm problems.
From closets and bathrooms to beds and desks, ants are everywhere.
“If even the tiniest piece of food is left out, the ants swarm,” said Jeremy Cao, a third-year philosophy student who lives in Delta Terrace.
Files of ants have been found outlining door frames in rooms, said Aaron Trefler, a third-year cognitive science student. He said they also covered his sink in the bathroom while he was trying to wash his face.
Though he has been meaning to buy Raid, Trefler said the ants have become so common that he has accepted their presence.
Since the beginning of the school year, Delta Terrace alone has reported 34 ant infestations, said Alfred Nam, director of the rooms division of UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services.
Reports of ants have surfaced on the Hill this fall, but not nearly as frequently as Delta Terrace, Nam said. The exact cause is still unknown, he added.
Housing Services has been working closely with Orkin, a pest control company, to solve the problem, Nam said. They plan to cut back the brush near the building to make the environment less inviting to ants.
Excessive moisture is also thought to exacerbate the problem, as ants are either attracted to the water source or are flooded out from underground. A concrete barrier will be constructed at the back of Delta Terrace to help address this, Nam said.
Orkin and Housing Services also believe an uprooted tree that fell in the past week has aggravated the ants, Nam said. They hope to remove the tree by Wednesday.
While a few residents said they were unaffected, the majority have taken various measures to deal with the pest problem.
Carie Cameron, a third-year history student, has adopted a “kill on sight” method, having purchased an assortment of cleaning agents and bug sprays.
Cameron and her roommate have done research on how to most effectively get rid of the ants, and they agreed to not have any food in the room, Cameron said.
The efforts of most residents, however, have proved unsuccessful. Even after cleaning and getting rid of any food remnants, the ants persist, Cameron said.
Maintenance crews have been sent to assist residents, but some residents, such as Cameron, reported that the ants returned not long after the treatment.
Housing and Hospitality Services plans to collaborate with the Office of Residential Life to send reminders to students to not leave any food out in the open, Nam said
Until the problem can be resolved, Nam said students should report any problems to their front desk, who will send housekeeping and report the issue to Orkin.