If You Ever Spot This Insect, Get Rid of It Immediately!

The lanternfly, or Lycorma delicatula, is an insect you want to get rid of immediately if you spot it. Originating in China, it was first seen in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, it has spread, causing significant agricultural and ecological damage. Lanternflies feed on the sap of many plants and trees, weakening them and causing sooty mold due to the sticky honeydew they excrete. This mold further harms the plant by inhibiting photosynthesis.

Lanternflies are easy to identify. Adults are about an inch long, with gray wings featuring black spots and red and black underwings. Nymphs are black with white spots, turning red before maturity. They use a needle-like mouthpart to pierce plants and suck out sap, sapping the plant’s life energy.

If you see a lanternfly, “the recommended course of action is to eliminate it.” You can squash the adults or nymphs directly. Destroying egg masses, which look like gray mud smears, is also crucial. Scrape them into a bag with alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill the eggs.

Taking action against lanternflies is essential to protect our plants and environment. If you spot one, remember the damage they can cause and act to help keep our ecosystems healthy.

VA

Related Posts

At the airport as we were about to check in for our family vacation, my parents suddenly told me they’d

Two years have passed, but that morning still feels close enough to touch. My name is Ryan Carter. I’m a single father to an incredible little girl named Lily. She…

Read more

I Saved a Boy During a Storm 20 Years Ago — Yesterday He Came Back with an Envelope That Made Me

Twenty years ago, I found a little boy sobbing under a tree in a lightning storm and got him to safety. Yesterday, during a snowstorm, a tall man knocked on…

Read more

The Resilience of an Icon: Exploring the Remarkable Career, Personal Struggles, Creative Triumphs, and Unwavering Courage of Bill Bixby, from Beloved Television Star to Inspirational Figure Who Faced Profound Loss, Health Battles, and Life’s Challenges with Strength, Grace, and Enduring Determination

Bill Bixby, born Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III in 1934, emerged as one of the most quietly influential figures in American television during a period when the medium itself was…

Read more

I Thought My Husband Died — Then Three Years Later He Moved Into the Apartment Next Door With Another Woman and a Child

They buried my husband in a closed casket. I was eight months pregnant when I stood in a black dress that didn’t quite fit over my swollen belly and watched…

Read more

I Tracked My Daughters Missing Treasures To Her Fathers House And Finally Heard The Truth No Child Should Carry

My daughter kept coming home from her dad’s without the little things that made her feel safe in the world. First it was her American Girl doll, then her iPad,…

Read more

The Shadow Sister: How a Hidden Photograph Rewrote Fifty Years of History

Anna’s childhood had been defined by a lack of extended family, particularly regarding her mother’s estranged sister, Margaret. Realizing that Margaret was the only person left who could decode the…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *