By Isiah Christie
Since 2018, New Jersey has spent their summers dealing with an invasive issue – the spotted lanternfly, an invasive plant hopping species originally from parts of China and Vietnam. Lantern flies were first discovered in the United States in 2014, appearing in late 2014 as an active threat to the state’s trees and logging industry. It is believed that due to their old egg masses, they may have been in the country as early as 2012 – however, it took several years for them to become a nationally recognized phenomenon. By the late-2010s to early-2020s, they had appeared in several other northeast and upper southern states, including Massachusetts, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. They have since spread to other states along the east coast and currently pose a threat of spreading to the west coast, according to studies.
In New Jersey, lanternflies have been particularly problematic due to their tendency to target hardwood trees and local crops. They are considered a threat to over seventy species of trees and often occupy them throughout their lifetime, feeding on sap and leaving behind honeydew – something that can lead to bacterial growth, fungus, and other insects sprawling over plants. Lanternflies are not considered directly threatening to humans, but rather the agricultural industry – and in a cry of desperation, people have been urged to kill them on sight to avoid both seasonal and long-term damage.
Lanternflies, however, are a difficult foe. Not because of durability, but rather intelligence and elusion. They are not remotely afraid of human life, actively eager to jump on them as platforms or even mistaking them for their preferred trees. And when humans try to kill them – usually in a flurry of stomps – their timing on bouncing or flying away is so instant that they often disappear unscathed. Some experts even consider the stomping method to be outright ineffective, recommending that they rip out trees the bugs flock to – especially Tree of Heaven trees – or attack them with a less avoidable method, such as a vacuum.
And while these are feasible alternatives, it doesn’t change the fact that they are significantly inconvenient to locals. Many are dismayed by the idea that they have to go to such extents to drive the lanternflies away, especially given their large size that nearly rivals that of indoor cockroaches. The adult forms can also glide along the air in addition to their erratic hopping, making them an absolute nightmare to try to catch – especially in bulk.
Regardless, citizens of New Jersey and bordering states are still encouraged to do their best in eradicating lanternflies, as they hold major negative implications for local agriculture and plant life. Perhaps it could be engaging to treat it like a game – one point for each lanternfly kill a day!
…It’s worth trying anything to drive them away.
