It has been a few weeks since Stevens students tip-toed through lanternfly carcasses to walk into the University Center Complex (UCC). Stevens students took it upon themselves to wage a war with these evolutionarily advanced insects, leaving the grounds around the UCC littered with squished and stomped lantern flies. But the dead flies were not Stevens students’ worst concern—if one were to look up at the UCC walls and pillars, they would have found swarms of lanternflies looking down on them. One could almost believe the flies were plotting the demise of the UCC towers. It was around that time that there were quite long wait times to order food at the Center. Hmmm coincidence? I think not! Not long after, the elevators began to become a nuisance for those who live in the towers. Especially those on higher floors.
But all of a sudden, the UCC was devoid of lanternflies. It was almost as if they had disappeared. Stevens students rejoiced that they did not need to dip and dodge lanternflies trying to fly into them while walking into the UCC; however, they were curious as to how there were no flies. Some say it was not Stevens that removed the flies, but rather, that the flies left on their own accord. Studies show lanternflies go dormant during the winter months. Could this have been their plan? Are they sleeping and getting ready for their next swarm? Could there be a leader of these flies, similar to a queen bee, that controls the movements of these flies? So be careful—somewhere, in trees around campus, you will find this “Lord of the Lantern Flies” plotting the demise of the UCC and creepily hiding and crawling around trees. Will the flies come back? Is the UCC haunted by the Lord of Lantern Flies? We can only hope the Spirit of Halloween helps us in our battle with the lantern flies, and maybe even rid the UCC of the Lord of Lantern Flies forever.
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