“It’s not futile.” How to best get rid of spotted lanternflies “People get very frustrated with invasive species, but anything they can do helps researchers buy time as we come up with better solutions,” she says. So while the insect may not be eradicated through the stomping of many feet, Urban adds that these efforts still help researchers. We do hope to slow the spread to give us more time to learn about this.” “We don’t feel as though eradication is an option for this,” says Eshenaur. “Each one we step on has the potential of killing 40 with it.”Īt the end of the day, though, spotted lanternflies are here to stay, and all efforts are on slowing down the insects’ reach rather than getting rid of them completely. “One female spotted lanternfly can lay up to 40 egg masses,” he says. But with thousands of insects already in the environment, will squashing a few bugs have any impact?Įshenaur says that small efforts can play a big part in reducing the population-especially on a local scale. Experts worry about the economic toll of the spotted lanternfly but say more research is needed to better understand its impact.Įxperts say that having people kill lanternflies is a short term strategy as scientists continue to develop long-term, sustainable solutions. The spotted lanternfly has a preference for grapevines, maple trees, and black walnut, all of which are vital to the country’s grape, orchard, and logging industries. “It could potentially kill other plants, but it’s more of a stressor.” The insects damage plants and trees, causing them to leak sap from the wounds and leave behind a sticky honeydew that can lead to the growth of sooty mold, a fungal disease. “They insert their straw-like beaks into the plant and feed on the sap,” says Julie Urban, associate professor at Penn State’s entomology department. But it’s a danger to more than 100 trees and plants, and can kill grapevines and the tree of heaven, a fast-growing deciduous tree native to China that is also an invasive species. The spotted lanternfly doesn’t cause any harm to humans or animals-it doesn’t bite, sting, or contain venom. Why experts are encouraging people to kill spotted lanternflies
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