Spotted lanternflies to start hatching around NY, NJ: Why you should kill them

Editor’s note: The video above is from March 3, 2023.

NEW YORK (PIX11) — As May approaches, the tri-state area will be seeing the return of spotted lanternflies as they begin to hatch.

New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation said spotted lanternflies (SLFs) are a major threat to the state’s agricultural industry and should be killed.

A map from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program showed just how infested the tri-state region is. All of New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and New York’s northern suburbs are highlighted as infestations.

According to Cornell University , SLFs will hatch from May through June and will live as fully formed adults from July through December, while they start to lay their eggs in the fall months of September through November.

The DEC offered the following steps to help stop the infestation:

• Learn how to identify spotted lanternflies.
• Inspect outdoor items such as firewood, vehicles, and furniture for egg masses.
• If you visit other states with spotted lanternflies, be sure to check all equipment and gear before leaving.
• Destroy egg masses by scraping them into a bucket of hot, soapy water or a baggie/jar of hand sanitizer.

The SLFs hatching season aligns with “cicada-geddon,” where a double dose of cicadas are expected to invade parts of the United States. The last time these two broods came out together was in 1803. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote about cicadas in his Garden Book but mistakenly called them locusts, was president.

This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press .

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk . Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com .

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