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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Maya Yang

‘Kill it, smash it’: spotted lanternflies due to return this spring with a vengeance

Experts say the spotted lanternfly infestation this year might occur earlier due to an unusually warm spring.
Experts say the spotted lanternfly infestation this year might occur earlier due to an unusually warm spring. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP

Experts are urging the US public to start keeping an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species harmless, if irritating, to humans, but known to wreak havoc on plant life and agriculture.

Experts believe that spotted lanternflies entered the US in a shipping crate. Native to China, they were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have since spread to at least 14 states.

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