STATEN ISLAND, NY – There has been no debate about what to do if you see a spotted lantern fly – you should kill it ASAP!
The insect is called plant cicada and is native to China and Southeast Asia. Experts warn that it poses a serious threat to crops across the country, including New York state and nearby New Jersey.
Residents are therefore urged to kill the bug immediately and report the location to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets using the Spotted Lanternfly Public Report.
But here’s a warning: if you see a spotted lantern fly – a flying insect with white dots on red wings – you don’t have much time to react. The insects are lightning fast.
Discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, they pose a threat to crops across much of the United States, according to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Ithaca, NY
They were previously spotted in Delaware, Virginia and across New Jersey jumping through gardens, backyards, parks, and farms.
Now, in a new stage of development, the destructive insects have taken on wings and been found on car windshields, in South Shore gardens, and on patio furniture, Islanders reported.
Although the list of hosts is large, the biggest concern in agriculture is grapes, hops, apples, blueberries, and stone fruits, Cornell’s New York State Integrated Pest Management Program reported.
The lantern fly also feeds on sky, poplar, maple and willow trees.
If you see one, act quickly to end it, environmental experts warn. Here are a few ways they advise us to do just that:
1. Crush: The most foolproof way to kill a lantern fly is to pound or beat it, although this can be difficult because the insect is so quick.
2. Scrape eggs from trees: In the fall, keep an eye out for spotted lantern fly egg masses. They are brown, scab-like things on any flat surface outdoors, such as trees, fence posts, and rocks. When you find an egg mass, mash the eggs inside with a scraper or other tool. Just press firmly on the thing.
3. Set up traps: You can use tape traps (available at hardware stores) on your trees to catch them, not too high off the ground. This allows the lantern flies to climb up the trees and get stuck in the tape. If the tape is overfilled, discard and replace it.
4. Use a shop vacuum: you can vacuum them from your deck, patio, and yard. Then add liquid soap and water to the vacuum cleaner’s reservoir to kill them off, according to the gardening tips website IngraWorld.
5. Sprinkle weeds with vinegar: IngraWorld says spotted lantern flies can be found on weeds. When this happens, a vinegar solution will be sprayed directly on the insect and the weeds will kill both of them.
A non-native, invasive spotted lantern fly is seen in a vineyard in Pennsylvania on September 19, 2019. (Associated Press) AP File Photo / Matt Rourke
