When most of us see an insect, we don’t give it much thought. There are times, however, when insects can be devastating to humans and the environment.

In 2014, a new insect was seen in Pennsylvania. It had come from China and it has caused a lot of damage to agriculture and the ecology throughout the area.

It is the lanternfly, an insect that should be removed immediately when you see it. This is not an ordinary insect that improves the environment, since it is not originally a part of the environment in the United States, it causes a lot of damage.

The lanternfly will land on trees and plants and feed on the sap. It will end up causing a type of mold because of the fluids they excrete and it will weaken the plant. Between removing the sap and stopping photosynthesis, the plants will eventually weaken and die.

It’s not difficult to identify the lanternfly. The nymphs are black with white spots and will turn red before they mature. Eventually, they will grow gray wings with black spots and red and black under the wings. The adult is about an inch long.

The insect uses a type of mouthpiece that is similar to a needle to pierce the plant and remove the sap. Essentially, they are draining the life energy from the plant.

The most common course of action to take when you see a lanternfly is to kill it. You do not have to worry about it being difficult to kill because you can squash the adult or nymph very easily. If you see an egg mass, that looks like a smear of mud, you can scrape it into a bag with hand sanitizer to kill them.

You may find it cruel to kill insects but in this case, you are protecting the environment by doing so. They cause a lot of damage if left to do what they do best.