Why Americans want these insects dead

Can we actually kill all the spotted lanternflies?

Over the summer, for the first time in what feels like a while, Americans united under a single cause: to murder an invasive bug.

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but the situation itself was a bit dramatic. Social media was flooded with people in New York City, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey striking down spotted lanternflies in the most creative ways. Videos of the plant-sucking bugs that are native to parts of Asia showed them overtaking trees. Reports from Pennsylvania said they were capable of wiping out vineyards. Researchers warned they also threaten fruit trees and the hardwoods like black walnut. The public went on high alert. The messaging was clear: Stop this bug before it decimates the fruit and timber industries and costs the US tons of money.

People struck them down all summer long, and now that it’s fall … well, they’re still here. And they’ve spread.

Is it futile? That depends. If you set out with your flyswatters and sticky traps thinking we could wipe out every lanternfly, then you were a bit misguided. But just because we can’t stop them entirely doesn’t mean we should quit.

Kristie Reddick, an entomologist and director of The Bug Chicks, put it best: “People cleaning trash out of creeks aren't going to be like, ‘Oh, I picked up, like, three bags of trash and there's still more trash. I guess there's just trash now.’” Spotted lanternflies are the trash in this metaphor.

Check out the video above to find out more about spotted lanternflies and the part humans have played in spreading them around the US.

For more on where these bugs are:

For more information on lanternflies and their life cycle:

For more on the economic impact:

[Vox]

We might not know the actual impact of spotted lanternflies yet, but we do know they won’t be the last invasive species we see. We live in a highly connected world, and species — especially unassuming insects, or plants — can easily hitch a ride to new places where they could wreak havoc on native ecosystems. The good news is that eradication isn’t impossible if the infestation is caught early.


On the flip side, there are unfortunately more losses than wins. Similar to the spotted lanternfly, the brown marmorated stink bug came to the US in the ’90s; it also eats crops. Populations have leveled out on the East Coast, but the bug is making its way west. Read more here:

Thanks for watching!
—Kim

[bencanaan-]

Every man, woman, and child in my community is on the hunt for them. We are lean, mean, lanternfly-killing machines and we won't ever give up.

[TheDagraner]

I'm right below Pennsylvania and i've seen northern cardinals and possibly carolina wrens going after these guys in their slower adult stage. The animals are slowly learning about the new buffet of bugs, but the lanternflys are also slowly learning to avoid us a little more than last year.

[ilovecats]

I kind of enjoy that the murderous rampage against these bugs is at least something we can all come together about

[InquisitorThomas]

SO THAT WAS WHAT THOSE BUGS WERE!!! I’ve seen them everywhere during the Summer.

[khalilahd.]

I’ve seen these EVERYWHERE this summer and seeing why they’re here and what this means is super helpful so thank you 😊

[pavarottiaardvark]

I would happily watch Kristie be enthusiastic about bugs and plants for a whole hour long special

[jiyunpark]

It was also a boom in Korea about 10 years ago. It came from China due to increase climate temperature. There is a insect called 'Anastatus orientalis' which is a predector of the latern flies, according to the Korea Environment ministry. By increasing the amount of Anastatus orientalis in conclusion, it is now hardly to find the lantern flies in Korea.

[junkwonoh]

Same exact bug invaded Korea about 10~20 years ago from China, and I have seen those bugs a lot in the past but number seems to have decreased nowadays in Korea. I hope US finds a good solution.

[YaBoiWiggles]

These bugs are terrifyingly bold. Try to step on one, it flies away the second you close in on it. They also will just jump on you almost like it's a threat and ride car windows.

[wilberforce]

As a person from ground zero of invasion (southeast PA), I can confirm that they are a big problem. One of my friends even wrote the article at 2:37 lol!

[terramater]

So interesting to see what we can do about these "intruders"! Our crew filmed a very similar topic. Lionfishes were also brought to the ocean in Florida and basically messed up the whole ecosystem because they eat so much! While the solution for lanternflies is for us to smash them, for lionfishes, it lies more on us eating them...

[Bxu]

“You cut it down and it’s like “oh yeah?” 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[MiloticFan]

Yeah I’ve lived in Eastern PA my entire life, & let me just say lantern flys are unhinged & fearless. At least in Philly, they’ll jump right on your face like you’re a tree or something😂

[PrairieKass]

I'm a trucker, I have yet to see any of these but our entire company has the compliance stickers on all our trucks and we are supposed to check for them whenever we go through the areas they exist, but I highly doubt anyone actually does that check

[jaredorlov]

I’m a freshman at Dickinson College and they are everywhere. Never heard of or seen them before in New York City where I grew up. But here, I can’t go a day without seeing them.

[BeachioSandschannel]

Anybody who says that killing the spotted lanternflies hurts Mother Nature doesn’t care for her at all.

[poiifect]

I laughed so hard when it said "Spotted lantern-flies were ABSOLUTLY harmed during this video"

[Luboman]

I live in NYC. The first time I saw these critters was out in suburban NJ this summer, near a large park. I thought they were squee adorable. That's when I learned from friends that they were invasive, destructive and that I needed to squash all of the ones I saw. So I went on a squashing spree in NJ. But that was months ago. I was hanging out at an outdoor patio at a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this past Friday. Lo and behold I see one land right in front of me and my friend as we were drinking beers--my very first one here on this side of the Hudson River. I squashed it. But they've now invaded NYC. I feel that's not good?

[lebrown]

"At this point, it's too late to stop them completely. Eradication is not on the docket anymore. We missed that boat. That ship sailed. And so now it's about mitigation and management and control." Yeah I understand this, the same thing happened with covid