The spotted lanternfly is a textbook example of how something small and striking can hide enormous destruction. Feeding with needle-like mouthparts, it siphons sap from trees and crops, leaving them stressed, weakened, and vulnerable. The honeydew it excretes coats leaves and bark, inviting black sooty mold that smothers photosynthesis and slowly chokes the life out of plants. Vineyards, orchards, and hardwood forests stand on the front line of this invasion, with livelihoods and ecosystems at risk if it continues unchecked.
That’s why experts urge immediate action: if you see one, kill it. Crush adults and nymphs. Seek out and scrape off their gray, mud-like egg masses, sealing them in alcohol or hand sanitizer so they cannot hatch. Each lanternfly destroyed is one small defense for our food, our trees, and our shared environment. Awareness, and swift action, are our best chance to stop their spread.
