Folks, It’s Time to Kill the Lanternflies Again

If you’ve spotted a, well, spotted red or black spider-esque bug crawling around and wondered why it looked vaguely familiar, guess what — it’s a spotted lanternfly! Everyone’s favorite invasive species is back for another round, and it’s up to all of us to do some squashing.

For now, most of the lanternflies look a touch different, since they’re still in their nymph stage and haven’t developed their wings yet. All the more reason to stomp, since once they mature, they’ll start laying eggs and renew the cycle all over again for next year. Sure, they look pretty, but the insect is a destructive and invasive species to our local ecosystem. So, when you run across one of these little buggers, do us all a favor and kill it. 

For more on spotted lanternflies and how to end their little spotted lives, check out the PSAs in the news and refresh yourself with Battery Park City’s call to action from 2022, which is still is a reliable how-to (they’re really easy to stomp) and has more information about what you can do about this ongoing issue.

photo: iStock