With spring comes warm weather, and with warm weather comes bugs. This week, Elizabethtown College sent an email to students warning them of the impending march of ants on campus.

Mark Zimmerman, director of Facilities Management, advised students, staff and faculty to keep their offices and rooms free of food. Ants are attracted to crumby areas, so the most effective means of controlling them is disposing of food in communal trashcans, which are serviced more frequently than personal trashcans. Zimmerman suggested eating on plates or paper towels and wiping down counters and desktops after eating off them. He identified keyboards and desk drawers as hospitable environments for ants.

Keep in mind that a clean community is an ant-free community. As ridding an area of pests can take days or weeks, it is best not to give them a reason to stay in the first place.