Dill discusses sciarid snake sighting with BDN

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono.

Emergency services responded promptly to the scene and the student has been transported to a local hospital. The student’s family has been informed.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 or you may call the Dean of Students Office at 207-581-1406.

An investigation is underway and more details will be released when they become available. Our thoughts are with the student and their family.

Long Road has been cleared and is now accessible. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lieutenant Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

September 15, 2021 Cooperative Extension, Outreach, UMaine in the News

Jim Dill, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension pest management specialist, spoke to the Bangor Daily News about a rare recent sighting of a sciarid snake in Litchfield. According to Dill, the “snake” is actually a mass movement of hundreds or thousands of fungus gnat larvae crawling over each other seeking a new location. The larvae, which are harmless to humans and crops, eat fungus in the soil and use traveling behavior similar to army ants and army worms to find less crowded locations. Newsweek cited Dill in reporting the story. MSN shared the Newsweek story.