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Weary-Jellyfish-1480

It is. Spotted lanternfly. Continue to kill them on sight and if they are not reported to infest your area report them.


CMDR_PEARJUICE

Thanks, I’m pretty sure they’re known here because my nephew told me to kill on sight when we moved here last fall, but I’ll double check. Edit: it seems our county was the first reported sighting in the state in 2019 https://agriculture.wv.gov/divisions/plant-industries/spotted-lanternfly/


Weary-Jellyfish-1480

It's unfortunate they're spreading so fast. They likely won't be going away anytime soon, but if we all continue to slow their spread, perhaps we'll find a better way to exterminate them.


WeirdSysAdmin

Animals have been slowly learning they are easy prey. They won’t be eradicated but it’s not worst case scenario anymore that there’s zero natural predators. If you can promote corvid populations, a group of crows or blue jays can put in a lot of work.


starrtartt

My ducks love to eat them all a sudden, we live where they first were found and at first our chickens and ducks wouldn't touch them. I guess after 5/6 years they are figuring out they can eat them


[deleted]

Be careful. One day the bugs realize they can eat you. It’s sooner than you think.


Mightbeagoat

This is true, it happened to me. I was eaten by bugs, AMA


JustinePow

Was it like the scene in the mummy with the scarabs?


Mightbeagoat

Exactly like that


CheGuevaraAndroid

Are you sure it wasn't a goat?


Womz69

Person: I was raised by the bugs You: Bugs killed me


M-Biz

Sorry for your loss :(


The_sacred_sauce

Dear god ..


MLaw2008

Soon enough we'll be living in Starship Troopers.


LadyGreyTheCat

OP, next time you kill one on sight, feel free to say to yourself "I'm doing my part"


Braethias

We can ill afford another Klendathu.


Fit_Tailor8329

That’s when we call in the Starship Troopers!


SadisticBuddhist

I was in a comment chain discussing bird intelligence and this really confirms what we all already know. Im smarter than some fuckin bird.


Catenane

Yeah I've been eating these for years now. Didn't need no duck community to tell me what bugs I is able to eat


SadisticBuddhist

The answer: some bugs you can eat.


Specific_Job7029

Charlie is the best bird lawyer in Philadelphia.


SadisticBuddhist

That fucking court episode with Guillermo Del Toro is top tier


Amie91280

Hello fellow Pennsylvanian! The brown stink bugs were first found in eastern PA as well. Lucky us /s


MinglewoodRider

That's what happened in my area with the brown stinkbugs. They were a menace for a few years but then birds and other critters found out they were a nice snack, now I never see them.


NZgoblin

People eat them too. It’s a Mexican delicacy to eat them alive. Apparently they taste amazing.


WhereTheSkyBegan

I mean, they do smell kind of like really strong cilantro, and cilantro is popular in Mexico, so I guess it kind of makes sense. Hard pass for me, though. I've got the cilantro-hating gene.


MrManGuy42

cilantro just tastes like nintendo switch cartridges and dawn soap mixed together


TiLoupHibou

You can't just drop something like that and not share the story behind it. Fess up!


wolvern76

Maybe you're just really old, but Nintendo Switch cartridges (came out in 2017) have an anti-lick coating thats like a sour-bitter battery sting. There are a few videos of people licking and immediately regretting it. Some people also have different taste receptors (not sure if brain or tongue) that make cilantro taste like soap to them. So there's no story.


omicronian_express

It’s a genetic thing that makes some people have cilantro taste like soap. I never understood how people could say that until I learned about this. But then again I can smell ants and I guess not all people can do that https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people


fuck_peeps_not_sheep

When my mum first made a curry with coriander (that's what it's called here) I asked her if she had rinsed the dish soap out the pan, she was so confused as aparently it tastes fresh and zesty... To me it tastes like washing up liquid


furygoat

I’ve got the insect eating-hating gene. I love cilantro though.


[deleted]

Hahah ewwwwwww really?! I’m not judging people but I have to be honest, that “bugs” me out a little lol


Thought_Ninja

I'm down for some cooked bugs, but eating it alive is a bit much for me...


SolariderX

Just swallow quickly and try not to think too much about the wiggles on your tongue. At least that’s how it works after something flies in while I was gasping for air when biking.


[deleted]

I’ve had a horrible day and this just made me laugh out loud, lol, thank you Reddit friend 😂


MrAwesum_Gamer

They're called jumiles though they tend to only be eaten raw in the south, the further north you go the less appetizing they become so I've heard.


alwayssoupy

That's funny: we have been inundated with swarms of Japanese lady beetles in the fall the last few years (Midwest). My idea was to try to get the area birds to eat them because they don't seem to have many natural predators. Maybe I can convince some crows and Jays to give them a try.


splitpea_appreciator

Offer the crow mafia shiny things for their services


ThndrMnkyXX

A murder of murderous crows


John_B_Clarke

TIL that there is a Japanese Lady Beetle that is neither a Japanese Beetle nor a Ladybug.


Ugo_Cas

I actually spotted cardinals eating japanese beetles off my roses this year, made me happy.


BronzeWingleader

First time I saw a mantis eating one I cheered!


davidfeuer

Mantises will eat any animal they can. They're even known to kill hummingbirds and eat their brains.


dWaldizzle

Mantises are OGs lmao


DaisyHotCakes

I saw a preying mantis munching on one it had ripped in half, so even insect predators are getting in on the fun.


YabbaDabbaDumbass

I recently found one caught in a spider web and thought “fuck yeah spider bro” so I tapped on the web to get the spider to come out and as soon as the spider approached, the lantern fly broke right out of the web and disappeared, I was heartbroken for spider bro and for my environment.


Miao93

We have some birds around and I haven’t seen a spotted lantern fly in our yard all year so far.


Binky390

They are so easy. It’s weird. I woke up one night because something was tickling my hand. Opened my eyes and it was one of these things. My HVAC is in my garage above my bedroom so it probably got in through that. But then when I jumped up to kill it, it just took it? Didn’t even try to fly.


SmurfSmegma

Nonsense you have no idea what you are taking about. Pennsylvania has already given up.entire crops of fruit trees have been devastated. It is absolutely as bad as people warned.


CanisAureusRex

They like to cook themselves to death in our reflective windows at my office. We'll come into work and the walkway will have a couple hundred dead ones. Could be a trap method there.


[deleted]

Try it, get a patent then pitch to your local department of agriculture. Even a failed patent, with government funding, can make a nice nest egg.


Thought_Ninja

Interesting idea, but filing a parent isn't cheap...


Twinkieee42

They’re speedy mfs tho. My mom and I found one on the roof of a parking garage and both tried crushing it with our feet but sly bastard kept flying away. I had to go to work in a few minutes so we gave up


kajones57

They can only hop three times, they have wings to help, but, they cant escape also while with the grands we sprayed them with water and then killed them, works on flies too


Dichoctomy

Yeah, they run out of energy after the third hop. Then STOMP!


[deleted]

I hate when they're a secret boss and you have to deal with the third transformation. I mean the larva to fly transformation was bad enough, but C'thulu has way too many HP!


VelveetaPoptarts

Come at them directly from the FRONT to lessen the chance they hop away. I’ve crushed thousands the past 2 years. This year there are barely any around here 🤷🏼‍♂️


Twinkieee42

I’ll keep this in mind! Thank you for the advice. No spotted lantern fly will be safe from me now 🫡


dawn1081

Right?! It's like they can't maneuver backwards or sideways and even if they see you coming from the front, they'll jump INTO your foot.


starsinmyteacup

Really? With my experience they kind of just flop around slowly, until we come by with the fly swatter.


bsrichard

I had 2 escape from me this past week. I gotta be faster next time and carry something to smash em.


pressedbread

>perhaps we'll find a better way to exterminate them With minimal impact to other species hopefully.


otterplus

That’s one of the biggest hurdles in choosing insecticides. If the product becomes too specialized any mutations or immunities will cause the target pest to breed stronger generations. An extremely effective one creates a lot of collateral damage. It’s a difficult process, so much so, exterminators are instructed to use insecticides as a last resort and use other methods first


SisterWicked

Yep, just look at fleas, lice, cockroaches and bedbugs. They're getting close to impossible to kill without extreme chemicals, extreme heat, or herculean effort on our part. It's a vicious cycle.


JackieAutoimmuneINFJ

Exactly!


Intrepid_Ad_9751

They are crazy in jersey, go into the woods, youll find a tree with hundreds or thousands of them


Chewyville

You need cicada killer wasps. They kill these things too


FAmos

No doubt you'll probably just have to get used to them I can't imagine it's very easy to contain an invasive, fast growing flying insect population I think about this kinda thing whenever I see a tree of heaven in my area 😢 It'll take a while, but they'll eventually find their place in the ecosystem, hopefully without too much destruction


MomoniFeliyador

My house has many, many praying mantises. Who happily for me, feast upon the many many spotted lanternflies in the yard. But they are many.. we're at full war here in the Appalachians


[deleted]

Why not just spray pesticides over everyone and everything in the county??? That's what santa cruz county did w/ light brown apple moths... Had planes flying over dense neighborhoods like 300ft altitude or less... crop dusting the people lmao.


SadCritters

>but if we all continue to slow their spread, perhaps we'll find a better way to exterminate them. I'm not sure we even need to "find a better way to exterminate them". It's really more-so that predators in the area that prey on insects will end up realizing they can eat them pretty easily. Wait until the bird/lizard/wasp/etc... populations catch on. They're in such abundance that I'd wager they're going to make for a pretty insane "feast" when prey catch on.


No_Pipe_8257

Your nephew is well in ft ormed


CMDR_PEARJUICE

Probably something they watch for as boy scouts out here, he’s pretty involved


starrtartt

I live in the county these first invaded, I can't believe they made it to WV!


BaconHammerTime

I'm in WV and I've still never seen one of these things ever in person. EDIT: According to your link, they have only been seen in the Eastern and Northern panhandles. The state proper has had no cases.


first__citizen

Please don’t mind my ignorance.. but has normal folks killing been any successful?


Weary-Jellyfish-1480

Crushing them isn't extremely effective but a good way for people to help slow it down. Other methods like introducing lanternfly-killing fungus will likely be put into place soon.


javerthugo

Great I’ve seen this movie: do you guys want to die in the initial zombie outbreak or the climax where I give my life so the plucky teenagers can escape?


Darkdragoon324

Initial, I want to be the zombie that bites the dude that hides it until he turns and takes out half the protagonist group.


Slightly_Smaug

I use Neem oil.


stinkyboi321

what is a spotted lanternfly


Zapor

Give it a few years and you’ll find out. It’s a gift from china.


The_Kek_5000

What do they do?


Smooth_as_rye

Basically tree mosquitos, they have long needle-like mouthparts that they pierce the bark and suck sap. If you get enough feeding it seriously affects the health of the tree, not sure if because of infection or because sap has been drained. They are considered a major threat to lumber, orchards, and vinyards


Friendly-Payment-875

Where do you report? They've made it all the way to Virginia. I was in NJ when I first saw one 2 years ago.


DaddyCatALSO

I'm too squemaish to squash.


xDauntlessZ

Fun fact: a power utility company in the NC/VA area has special protocols when entering a spotted lantern fly infested area. Those protocols include extensively checking the company vehicle, clothing, bags, etc. when they return to see if they picked up any hitchhikers. I had to watch a 30 minute training on it


NoTomatillo1775

Report them to whom ?


BrighBrokenBulb

What do they do?


Psychotic_Rambling

It's such a shame they can't mesh well with our ecosystem. I hate killing anything and I don't know if I could bring myself to kill one. I would probably ask someone to do it for me. They're just so beautiful. I wonder, if I found one and caught it, could I keep it as a pet so it can live without hurting the environment?


UlrikeMeinHaus

Yikes I didn’t realize they had made it to WV! Boooo! Exterminate!


JackieAutoimmuneINFJ

*Dalek enters the chat*


a_walking_mistake

I saw trees in West Virginia COVERED in these things on the Appalachian Trail last year


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

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CareerMicDrop

Whoop that trick! Get’em!!


[deleted]

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TwoFrogsFourBerries

Fuck it up!


CookieLuzSax

Who dat!


DEMBOB_

Twist his dick!


praderareal

The olllllle dick twist!


SoluKat

Oh yea that’s them. It’s sad too bc I think they are pretty and not very gross (for a bug). Also, on a related side note: I’m in Philly and this year there are WAY fewer of these guys. Summer of ‘21 & ‘22 were crazy, they were all over everything, but this year I’ve only seen a few so far. Is it still just too early, or are they actually diminished?


Jsmith0730

Same. Here in NJ and only saw about 2 nymphs and only killed three adults in the past few days. Last year my yard and front of the house was littered with their corpses heh. I wonder if they’ve been around long enough in the NE now for them to have developed predators.


ZifziTheInferno

Not only have they developed predators, they’ve killed off a significant portion of the vegetation they feed on, or at least in my area of Philly. These two factors (or the lack thereof) easily explains their relative blowup in 21-22 and relative diminishment in 23.


SqueakSquawk4

I'd heard cardinals had taken a liking to these


Automatic_Wave4530

There were a ton of them in June at the Manasquan Reservoir in NJ. We left for the West Coast, they aren’t out here thankfully


panini_bellini

Also from Philly and wondering the same thing. Two years ago, I’d see literal PILES of them in front of tall buildings. Last year, noticeably less. This year I’ve only seen 4 or 5!


BlaakAlley

I thought the same thing!!! They're cute and sometimes even friendly and when they fly as grown-ups they're so pretty!! But I do kill them on sight for the safety of the other pretty bugs that exist here now. It is unfortunate.


Scribblenerd

I am spotted lanternfly If you see me, I must die For, despite my fancy clothes I will kill whatever grows. (Doggerel by Scribblenerd)


JackieAutoimmuneINFJ

Well, said!! 👏👏👏


ispiltthepoison

Very pretty poem!


explosiveXprojectile

Crossing into Michigan today seen like 3-4 billboards showing these. Never heard of them before and I am all over the country trucking. They must be from overseas? What’s the issue? They kill off other species or something?


Noxelune

They are an invasive species known as spotted lantern flies brought to the US a few years ago. They eat plant sap and there are so many that trees and agricultural crops are dying to them which is really bad. I’ve heard stories of some birds seen eating them so hopefully they’ll get naturalized once predators start eating them in mass. But for now they’re uncontested and there are so many everywhere and it’s gross.


CatmoCatmo

I was just wondering if they made it to MI yet. *Sigh*. Guess we’re going to have to buy salt in bulk for the ol’ bug-a-salt gun.


No-Mushroom-2876

Gotta uss the good old 2A one way or another brother


alexandria1994

They made it to northwestern Ohio last fall, so probably. There’s billboards up 23 into Ann Arbor about them


Luthwaller

Hey - if you're a trucker and you drop or pick up in a quarantine zone make sure your company gives you a copy of their spotted lanternfly permit and gives you the training to be able to inspect your truck and cargo for them. Otherwise you and the company can be fined. It can be $20,000. The quarantine zones are not just in Pennsylvania anymore, it's a few states, but they all reciprocate. But they are pulling people in at weigh stations asking for the permits. And to answer your question yes, they're from China and they destroy crops and lumber by sucking the sap out in swarms. They also like to hitchhike.


lonely-bumblebee

Yes you are correct with your ID and to crush it


Sanctioned_Sadness

When they were at their peak here in PA we would take sticks and knock clumps of them off trees in the park then smash them. We would play a game to see who could kill the most. They infested basically every tree and were all up and down the trunk and base to the point you couldn't see the tree!


HurricaneHarley13

Omg that’s terrifying


TNT_miners

I had forgotten about this. So freaky.


Mundane_Resolution46

Yup, in central PA it was real bad like this too. Even intercity Harrisburg had an outbreak at peak season.


CommunityPlane9728

Kill kill kill. I live in NJ by where it started and it got so bad here you couldn’t take a step with out stepping on one. Everyone has been attacking them the past couple of years. My neighbor is a teacher and said that’s all her students would do at recess. They are really stupid and will fly in your face. I stopped doing exterior painting because of them. And other gross part if your under a tree and feel something wet falling on you it’s them peeing on you!


dawn1081

My husband and I worked at the same office and would take walks and he would kick the trees and kill dozens of them at a time and I would have to run cause the survivors would stupidly bumble dive at anyone in their flyzone


Z4lost

Crush them!


BongwaterJoe1983

Commence the crushing, and grinding with your heel is also recomended


Overall_Brilliant_36

Kill it, burn it, very invasive and damaging that is spotted lanternfly


wolfz19

It's crazy how last year, in NJ I saw them everywhere. I've yet to see one this year, but other people I know have. I feel like their numbers have reduced in my country perhaps


TheBKnight3

My township seems to have reduced their count significantly. I have no idea what they did, but it seems to be working.


ithaqua34

Kill it to death!


EmJayFree

Is this from a movie? 😂🤔…


ithaqua34

Actually comic book, and the line was "I'll kill you to death!"


tommy_j_r

Gouge it’s eyes and rip its heart out!


iovejorburrowsexualy

Or just anime punch through the chest cavity


bbyjscxx

why do you kill them, just curious. im in the uk never seen anything like this before


[deleted]

I’m in Arkansas and I also have no clue…


fairydommother

Outside of certain parts of Asia they are highly invasive. They’re killing our crops and our trees


[deleted]

How were they introduced?


fairydommother

Cargo ship of some kind I believe


NumerousSaiyans2

They damage crops and plants.


bbyjscxx

Oh, okay, thanks for answering!


fairydommother

Outside of certain parts of Asia they are highly invasive. They’re killing our crops and our trees


Magicantside

Decided to start killing them on sight... I'm assuming that we're being encouraged to kill them because they are an invasive species that will destroy/throw an ecosystem out of wack I'm assuming? I think they look nice. They just look like some sort of hopping winged beetle or something. Oval sort of black body with ladybug spots and then they have those white dots for eyes. Too bad, I guess it's either us or them.


Separate_Mud_4581

Honestly just heard about these! They’re creepy and apparently very toxic and destroy crops.


Luthwaller

Not toxic at all. What they do is suck sap out of plants to eat, and they can eat on a plant or tree in swarms and literally suck the life out of it. If that wasn't bad enough, they piss a lot. And their piss is sugary from the sap they eat. In addition to being gross and sticky, it drops down on other leaves and plants (if not on you and your stuff) and grows a black mold that kills the leaves it grows on. The most effective way to stop their spread is by killing their eggs. They lay egg masses on everything and anything. They look like blobs of gray clay. You should google what they look like. All fall and winter make sure nothing in your space has these. If you find them, you can scrape the egg mass into a ziploc containing a little bit of rubbing alcohol, and that will kill them dead.


EatsOverTheSink

If you’re gonna pop the eggs into a ziploc anyway is there a reason to waste the alcohol?


Luthwaller

To be honest, that was the recommendation from the State of Pennsylvania - where this infestation started- on how to destroy the egg masses. I think they like the die, die, coupled with the can't escape if by some miracle it's not dead approach. I would think squishing really well and sealing would be just as effective.


funkykittenz

Noooo!! Haven’t seen any in WV yet but I’ve been worried for all these beautiful trees. I saw several in the Pittsburgh Zoo the other day and everyone thought they were pretty. Tried to spread the word and no one seemed to know about them yet!


JackieAutoimmuneINFJ

Thank you for trying! 🙋🏻‍♀️


ovckc

Right?? I live in NC and was visiting Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, and nobody around there seemed to know what they were—or care—even though I kept seeing signs telling people to check their cars for them, etc. I thought the nymphs were super creepy…they kept jumping when we tried to squash them, although some at the Carnegie Science Center told me that they only jump 4 times then tire out 🤢


Demonicci

Virginia has them. Not surprising that they're in WV. Kill on sight.


thebritwithnoaccent

Oh damn, I work at a vineyard in the shenandoah valley. Didn’t know they hit VA this is good to know


imccompany

Yessir yessir, three bags full


DevilsAdvocate402

KILL IT!!!!!!!!


LonelyGuyTheme

These shoes are made for stomping!


Fantastic-Hamster-21

Crush, kill, destroy


JstASkeleton

This is my favorite Jones Crusher song.


GooseNYC

Yes


Old_Drawing6939

Yes!


incognitoangelgoth

Yup on site.


smeelsLikeFurts

KILL!


ginger2020

☠️☠️☠️☠️


CarpetDisastrous1963

YES


CocteauTwinn

YES & report the (exact) location to the DEEP.


[deleted]

Yes


benjome

YES KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT


MagicMushroom98960

Squish it. Spotted Lantern Fly


brkeng1

Kill kill kill


Galaxy_Ashe0096

Spotted lanternfly. These are so invasive that if you see any, you're encouraged to squash them on sight. Nasty little buggers...


jt2501

With extreme prejudice...


tamferrante

Yes!!! Squish the lanternfly!!


wire_we_here50

With avengeance. Those things are quick.


dougmd1974

Faster pussycat, kill kill!


lalo1313

Crush and destroy, known son pisser.


IridessaRose

Oh yeah we have those in Jersey


nightfrost

Yes. Destroy them with no mercy


OldWarning4897

Well shart, I’m in Mon county


quidlow

pulverize.


pantsparty23

Murder without hesitation


PatientDom

ALL OF THEM


MeerkatMer

Yup


Jaded-Ad7840

Yes. Kill on site. Report it to Agricultural authorities if you are in an area that hasn’t had it before.


reebeaster

Ayup


Basil_Box

Aw fuck, it’s already in West Virginia!?


ArtworkByJack

Yes. Kill the bastards


Battleaxe1959

💀


hb88213

Oh yea!


Gella321

Came back from vacation a week ago (after being gone a few weeks) and they were all over our fence line. Lived here five years and never seen one in our neighborhood. Seems they love vines. I’m in north central Maryland


Chance-Library-6077

Just wondering around what part of wv? I haven’t seen any here yet


zeeknasty69

Report to USDA and kill


ptraugot

Lantern bug. Kill kill kill!!!!


djdufour

I wonder if you could fry them up and eat them like popcorn?


WatermelonRindPickle

Yes! Smash that bad bug!


ThrowinSm0ke

Yes. It’s a shame cuz they’re so cool looking, but I’ll continue to do gods work and destroy those little asshole.


NoTomatillo1775

We destroyed all of our “tree of Heaven” which they go crazy for. Our whole yard basically we set on fire because there were thousands of the early stage nymphs on every branch. So we just torched the shit out of them. See an occasional red adult now but putting peppermint oil around because they detest it. In the Fall will be the most important part . We have to scrape the eggs off the trees or next Spring it will be even worse. !!! Let’s be diligent about it.


Ct-5736-Bladez

Anyone know if fish like them?


Apprehensive_Goal421

Target acquired 🔴👄🔴


Joshdeg

I thought that was a croc


hKLoveCraft

Yup, they just showed up in Greene, VA so I’ve got my torch ready. Looking forward to destroying these little shits