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Ladybugs Bug the Ladies
By Landon Clark
Growing up, most of the students on campus probably viewed ladybugs as adorable red-with-black-spots insects. How
ever, for the girls in Anderson Residence Hall, ladybugs have become a nuisance. “They’re super annoying,” resident Kinsey
Owens said. “They never fail to get close to or completely get in the bed with me when I sleep. It doesn’t help that they creep
me out either.”
Others such as Sydney Brooke are taking this problem lightly. “There are a lot of ladybugs, but it doesn’t bother me that
much,” Brooke said.
Where are the ladybugs coming from and how can girls in Anderson Hall can deal with the problem? I spoke with Dr.
Brian Joyce on the issue, and he made a few claims about the ladybugs. According to Joyce, the ladybugs are “Asian lady-
bugs (Harmonia axyridis)” and are “native to eastern Asia.” The ladybugs have been ported over to the U.S for farmers; these
ladybugs allow farmers to “control aphids and scale insects on agricultural crops.”
The ladybugs were released back in June of 2001 as a means to attack HWA (Adelges tsugae), which is a minute sucking
insect that can decimate hemlock populations in this area. To fight this, many Harmonia Axyridis were released alongside a
tiny black beetle known as Pseudoscymnus Tsugae (if you think about it they are just your friendly neighborhood tree-hug
ger)
However, ladybugs can, as Owens stated, “creep [one] out”, and this causes a problem for others who feel the same and
want to live comfortably in the dorms. Additionally, ladybugs do not have the smell most girls are looking for, but they are
here to help save hemlocks. When asked why the ladybugs want to stay in cozy dorm rooms. Dr. Joyce said, “the Asian lady-
bugs will congregate on the outside of buildings as they search for overwintering sites.” The ladybugs mean no harm. In fact,
they are just like you and me—^they hate the cold.
To solve this issue, I asked Dr. Joyce how to get rid of the ladybugs. “The best way to deal with [the ladybugs] is to
vacuum them up when indoors and to seal any points of entry from the outside,” Joyce said.
Though this is a serious issue and many are annoyed by the ladybugs, one should look at the positives of the ladybugs be
ing here. They are helping save our beautiful hemlocks from being decimated and as far as I know, they are lovers of coffee,
seeing that Tailor Tanner stated that she has “melted one in [her] Keurig”. The next time a ladybug grosses you out, pick it up,
put it in a cup and drive it to the Dripolator or Dynamite Coffee; you might just have a good time with your new insect pal.
After all, wouldn’t you want to get inside to get away from the cold?
*If you want to read more on the release of the ladybugs, visit http://appvoices.org/2001/06/
Event Calendar
March 4 8:45 p.m. Intramural Basketball
March 9
10:00 a.m. NAIA Indoor Track & Field
National Championships (Day 2)
12:00 p.m. Tennis vs. Union College
March 5
10:00 a m. NAIA Indoor Track & Field
National Championships (Day 3)
1:00 p.m. Baseball @ Milligan College
2:00 p.m. Men’s Lacrosse @ Asbury
University
2:00 p.m. Softball vs. University of
Northwestern Ohio
March 6
12:00 p.m. Tennis @ Tennessee Wes
leyan
2:00 p.m. Baseball @ Milligan College
2:00 p.m. Softball vs. University of
Northwestern Ohio
March 8
1:00 p.m. Men’s Tennis @ Peace Col
lege
1:00 p.m. Softhall @ Mars Hill College
1:00 p.m. Baseball (
versity
! Reinhardt Uni-
2:00 p.m. Baseball vs. Indiana Wes
leyan University
4:00 p.m. Women’s Lacrosse vs. Davis
& ElIJns College
March 10
1:00 p.m. Baseball vs. Saginaw Valley
State University
8:00 p.m. Christ Community Study
Break in Gaither Fellowship Hall
8:45 p.m. Intramural Basketball
March 11
1:00 p.m. Men’s Tennis vs. Asbury
University
1:00 p.m. Women’s Lacrosse vs. South
ern Virginia University
6:00 p.m. Baseball @ Reinhardt Uni
versity
8:00 p.m. Lowland Hum Concert in
Chapel of the Prodigal
March 12
1:00 p.m. Softball @ Converse College
1:00 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Salem
College
2:00 p.m. Men’s Lacrosse @ Dalton
State College
March 13
12:00 p.m. Tennis vs. UVA-Wise
March 14
Golf @ Skyhawk Invitational
March 15
Golf @ Skyhawk Invitational
1:00 p.m. Baseball vs. Brevard College
3:00 p.m. Men’s Lacrosse vs. St. Am
brose University
3:30 p.m. Women’s Lacrosse @ Truett-
McConnell College
8:00 p.m. Coffee House in Lower Belk
/
The Ghost of Howerton
Dining Hall, pt. 2
By Barb Abel
On that fateful night, the cooks were in
the kitchen making meal preparations,
talking among themselves, as usual...
“Hey did you read this morning’s
paper?” Frank asked Dan, as he moved
hissing vegetables around on the flattop.
“No. Why?”
“Well, I read that thirty years ago today,
a Montreat Student went missing. They
never found him.” He raised his eye
brows. “Doesn’t that strike you as more
than a little strange?”
Dan shrugged. “Not really. He prob
ably didn’t like college and ran away—
didn’t want to be found.” “Nah. The
article said he was an Aramark employ
ee. He clocked in at work that afternoon
and never clocked out, never left the
building.”
Dan frowned, eyed the time clock,
then shook his head. “You’re full of it.
There’s no article that says that.” He
pulled a pan of macaroni and cheese
out of the oven and set it on the counter.
“You had me goin’ there for a minute,
Frank. I’ll admit it.”
‘It’s the truth. It’s in ihs Asheville
Citizen-Times. They looked all over
campus and they never found him.”
“It’s a ghost story, that’s all,” Dan
replied. As he saran-wrapped the pan,
he asked, “Did the kid have a name?”
From the other side of the kitchen,
Mark yelped. A metal spatula clattered
to the floor.
“You okay, dude?” Dan shouted, walk
ing around to where Mark was backed
up against the wall, eyes huge. Frank
quickly joined them. Mark was pointing
the counter top with a shaking finger.
Dan and Frank’s eyes followed Mark’s
finger, and saw the swirls of ketchup
decorating the silver counter. It was
a name. As Dan read it to himself, he
heard Frank say aloud:
“Evan Smith.”
“Who—^who on Earth is—is Evan
Smith?” Mark stammered.'The kid who
went missing thirty years ago and was
never found,” Frank answered.”
To be continued.. .Look for the next
edition of Barb’s story in the third issue
of The Whetstone\