Ladybugs Infest the Mount - Hagerstown, MD

Students "Bugged" by Infestation at Mt. Saint Mary's Campus

Reported by: Jackie Cutler/NBC 25

EMMITSBURG, MD - First it was stink bugs, but now another bug seems to have taken over at least one local campus.

"Hitting my face, my body. They're stuck to you," describes Jonathan Bryan, a Mt. Saint Mary's graduate student.

Ladybugs have become quite the pest at Mt. Saint Mary's. They hibernate near the mountains, which makes the campus the perfect place to hide away.

Bryan adds, "It's more of a joke than anything because there's really nothing you can do about it. Every year they're here but it seems like this year more than any other year it's been really bad."

You'll see them swarming in the fall.

David Bushman, an entomologist at the university, explains, "What you find with ladybugs is that when one finds a great place to hide, it releases a pheromone, a chemical that attracts others in to the same great place. So that's why you see huge swarms. They aggregate, it's called an aggregation pheromone."

Anne Costigan, a Mount senior, says, "It's just kind of run as fast as you can to get away from them and then wipe off your clothes when you leave."

The critters are distant cousins to the stink bug, which means there's really no way to get rid of them.

"You probably don't wont to squish them. They probably don't smell so good and their blood can stain fabric and paint, so it's probably not the best idea to go out and smash them," Bushman adds.

But the Mount is hoping to find some good use for the lady bugs.

Linda Sherman, the communications director, says, "They're very, very good luck. Lady bugs are extremely good luck, and you know we have a baskeball team that does pretty well, so we're thinking maybe they may be the new mascot."

If you've been having a problem with the bugs yourself, the good news is they only swarm for about two weeks and they can't really harm you.

If they do harm anything, it's smaller pests. In fact, many farmers actually consider the ladybugs to be lucky because they can protect their crop from other bugs.