invasive species

Recruiting new bug hunters! by Johanna Elsensohn

My brother and future sister-in-law have joined the spotted lantern fly control effort! Living in New Jersey, this new invasive insect is becoming more and more prevalent in this area. I got a text from them the other day asking if what they found was indeed this bug (see below), I confirmed the lanternfly ID, then I soon received a follow-up text with the squished remains. While I don’t recommend killing every insect you see, even though many people might want to, if you come across this insect, feel free to squish away! It’s a nasty pest that affects lots of tree species and most importantly, grapes. Some farmers have lost 100% of their wine crop because of this pest. Spotted lanternfly kills wine production, so we need to kill them. Easy, right? Unfortunately eradicating an insect is never that easy, but every little bit helps. Happy bug squashing! ~J

Before the shoe dropped

Before the shoe dropped

One less lanternfly to worry about!

One less lanternfly to worry about!