When Che Frederick, a graduate student in the school of technology, noticed ants, spiders and silverfish in his house, he decided to find a solution on his own.

“I bought pesticide at Rural King,” Frederick said. “End of that problem.”

As temperatures increase, so do the chances of students finding bugs in their apartments or houses.

Rental companies around campus offer tenants services for situations in which bug problems grow out of control.

Ann Fritz, a biology professor, said ants, which let off secretions that caused the computer to need repairs, inhabited one of her former student’s computers.

Fritz, whose research is in behavioral ecology, particularly of insects, said unless a person is allergic to an insect, such as a wasp or a bee, insects can do little harm other than just pestering.

Tom Hallberg, owner of Hallberg Rentals, said he contracts George’s Roach and Flea Service, based out of Charleston, to spray pesticides inside and outside all of his rental properties over the summer before students move in.

“Some companies only spray when tenants request it,” Hallberg said. “By law, you have to require a hospitable environment for tenants.”

Poteete Property Rentals contracts extermination services through Wynn Pest Control, based out of Oakland, Ill. They send an exterminator upon tenants’ requests, but do not address insect problems in the time between leases.

Mindy Elam, the secretary at Poteete Property Rentals, said most complaints she receives are about ants, which are a result of a lack of cleanliness on the part of the tenants.

Lincolnwood Pinetree Apartments contracts the services of Don Baker Pest Control, based out of Mattoon. Sharon Turner, the property manager, said they spray after tenants move out and once every 90 days.

“Spraying every 90 days is necessary because different bugs appear in different seasons,” Turner said. “Right now we’re on ant patrol.”

Turner said she has heard of apartment complexes in Champaign experiencing bedbug problems.

“I haven’t heard of any apartments in Charleston with bedbugs,” Turner said. “It would be a nightmare.”

Paul Switzer, a professor of biology, who has also researched behavioral ecology of insects, said some varieties of pesticide sprays can be harmful to humans and pets.

“I would do some inspection first to see if there’s a real problem that requires pesticides,” Switzer said.

Switzer said termites are the biggest problem to rental companies because they can cause permanent structural damage.

Switzer said termites, which build colonies underground, can be more difficult to confront.

Exterminators use a sort of poison barrier, which the termites pass through and take back to their colonies.

Switzer said the best way for students to deal with pests is to avoid attracting them in the first place by maintaining a clean living environment.

Nick Livers can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].