Aphids problem in central Illinois?
Is there an aphids/gnats infestation problem every year in Illinois? Like around mid-August through September? The reason I ask is that a college I might go to is there, and I saw a horrible video on YouTube, which I think may have been exaggerated, but just wondering how bad it is? The info I found (on YT and Google) seemed to focus on 2009, so maybe that was an unusually bad year? I just don't want to go there and have thousands of them on me, my clothes, books, bed, etc. I HATE BUGS!!! I'm from MN, so I've dealt with lots of boxcelder bugs (not sure if that's spelled right, but you know the ones that are red and black and fly around a lot? that's what i mean here where I live in MN). The college I want to go to is Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL which apparently is in McLean County...any info on this from someone who is either a bug expert or lives/has lived in Illinois??? I really want to go to this school but don't want to be freaked out if I get there and this video is true that I saw. I'm a high school senior and have been accepted to Illinois Wesleyan with a good scholarship, and actually have my college choice down to IWU and one other school, and overall prefer IWU...so this is one thing that is bothering me now as of today and seeing that video...don't even know how I ran across that video while searching more info on colleges but I did and now I'm freaked out! If you want me to post the video here, I will get a link, so just say that, I''ll post that ASAP and come back, watch it, and re-comment if necessary! Thanks!!!
Update:So you don't actually get 100s of them all over you, in your books, bed, clothes, musical instrument (I'll be a music major, and that would just be disgusting!), eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc.???
Comments
Illinois Wesleyan is a great school, let me say that.
The bugs that you are referring to are the same ones you have in MN. They are called gnats, or "no-seeums". I don't know why there would be a video posted about them, but they were particularly bad a couple years ago, but they are not something a college student would notice. McLean County is highly agricultural area. Bloomington is also home to Heartland and Illinois State. If there were swarms or plagues of winged insects, you'd find more than one obscure video from 2009 on YouTube. Did you visit IWU? Did you notice anyone running from swarms of insects? Visit. Breathe. Good luck on your college choice, but you should not choose before you visit!!
Aphids are wingless, soft bodied insects. They will randomly fall off of trees and plants they are infesting. They do not bite, they just tickle a little when they crawl on your skin.
If you are going to let bugs stop you from going to a good school with a scholarship, you have some serious phobias that need to be addressed with a professional. I live in Illinois and am assuming that the video you saw (because I haven't seen it) was due to a population explosion because the conditions were right, much like lemmings in Alaska. Aphids cannot fly, so as long as you stay out from under trees you shouldn't get any on you. Get a grip and get over it.
Edit: A 'Mockumentary' is just that, a fictitious video. You are being ridiculous.
I haven't seen the video you mention but I doubt that your school has a bad bug problem every year. Aphids are a small insect that get on plant stems and suck he juice out of the plant . They are largely sedentary and do not move around much. Gnats are a type of small fly that are usually found in hot weather near bodies of stagnate water. I personally would not put much faith in one video. If it was a news Video it was probably trying to sensationalize what ever news could be found. They tend to play up something that is small and make it big so they have something to report. Also I suggest you lose your fear of bugs or get used to them. Like the box elder bug many insects can build up to large numbers at certain times of the year under the right conditions but they cant hurt you. Be afraid of something that can like cars. Just learn what can hurt you and avoid those conditions. PS If you really want to know what happens around that school correspond with some one who attends it.
EDIT-- Even if you had a lot of gnats flying around outside they dont get all over you and those that are outside to not go inside the buildings the temperature inside is not comfortable for them and buildings are set up to prevent the entry of insects. When I suggested earlier you contact someone I was thinking of a student or students who could give you first hand knowledge of what to expect with out worrying whether you might make a decision based on what you heard.