Just this weekend I was chatting with my daughter who lives in New York City, and somehow we got on the subject of the Japanese Beetle that is causing problems for some farmers in our area. She said, well we don't have those, but that darn Spotted Lanternfly is our nemesis here. (Even though she lives in NYC and is an apartment dweller, she has lots of plants indoors and on her balcony).

I immediately Googled it and thought Oh, what a beautiful good-looking bug! LOL, it really looks like a beautiful moth or butterfly. All Beauty aside State officials want it dead! And not just in Washington, but in every state it's appeared in. The good news is it's not currently in Washington. My daughter was right, they are in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. There have been reports of them migrating as far in our direction as Kansas. So it's just a matter of time.

The Spotted Lanternfly is native to Asia and the nymphs pierce plants and feed on sap from stems. This is devastating to farmers and crops. This beautiful but destructive bug is about an inch long and the egg masses look like a smear of light-colored clay and can be found on outdoor furniture, cars, trains, and plants according to InvasiveSpecies.wa.gov.

So if you like Washington apples and cherries, or ice-cold beer (hops), or just about anything delicious that's grown in our area, officials ask you to report a sighting of a Spotted Lanternfly HERE and then kill it by any means you see fit!

 

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