The lanternfly, known scientifically as Lycorma delicatula, is an insect that you need to eliminate right away if you see it. It came from China and was first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania back in 2014. Since then, it has spread and caused a lot of harm to farms and the environment. Lanternflies suck the sap from various plants and trees, which makes them weak and leads to a sticky substance called honeydew that they produce. This honeydew creates sooty mold, which can further damage the plants by blocking their ability to photosynthesize.

Lanternflies are pretty simple to recognize. The adult ones are around an inch long and have gray wings with black spots, plus red and black on the underside. The baby lanternflies, called nymphs, start off black with white spots and change to red as they grow up. They have a special mouth that looks like a needle, which they use to poke into plants and drink their sap, taking away the plant’s energy.

If you spot a lanternfly, it’s best to get rid of it. You can crush the adult ones or the baby ones right away. It’s also really important to get rid of their egg masses, which look like gray blobs of mud. You should scrape them into a bag with some alcohol or hand sanitizer to make sure the eggs are dead.

It’s really important to do something about lanternflies to keep our plants and environment safe. If you see one, think about the harm they can do and take action fast to help keep our ecosystems in good shape.