Connecticut, look out for spotted lanternflies

CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Connecticut has had some unwanted visitors this year: the spotted lanternfly.

The insects can cause severe damage to crops and trees, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). DEEP said that 47% of Connecticut trees are considered susceptible to the flies, and state leaders are urging residents to kill the flies if you see one.

“Kill them by any means possible,” Dr. Victoria Smith, a state entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said. “Stomp on them, hit them with a fly swatter, what ever it takes. Just kill as many as you can find.”

If you find one, take not of where you found it and report it to Connecticut’s Agricultural Experiment Station.

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