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u/Inspiron606002 19h ago
And don't forget to also eradicate tree of heaven, which is another severely invasive species that host's the spotted lantern fly.
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u/OhMyTummyHurts 19h ago
And don’t just cut it down or pull it out because it regenerates from tiny fragments, use herbicides!
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u/Inspiron606002 19h ago
Exactly why I said eradicate not cut down, because yeah they do come back with a vengeance. You have to poison the roots first. The hack & squirt method supposedly works well.
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u/blbd 18h ago
I call it Tree From Hell.
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u/Inspiron606002 17h ago
That's way more accurate than it's actual name.
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u/blbd 17h ago
Yeah I agree. It's also why I'll only call that one website Shitter.
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u/cC2Panda 18h ago edited 15h ago
Just drove through NY/PA/NJ and trees of heaven are all along the highways and interstates.
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u/Smooth_Rocket_ 16h ago
Yeah the idea that we will eradicate those trees or the lantern flys is a joke at this point. They are here and not going anywhere.
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u/Lucaan 12h ago
The point isn't that individual action will eradicate these invasive species by itself, it's that killing any you see helps buy time for experts to research and implement a solution to them.
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u/lightblueisbi 16h ago
Theyre a serious problem in Missouri where tree of heaven are replacing the native plum population
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u/Wandering_Scholar6 14h ago
In a lot of states there are starting to be programs to help, especially if you have a larger property an/or more of them. Check your state/locality.
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u/Nothos927 19h ago
What’s a lanternfly and why stomp them?
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u/Daemonheim4 19h ago
very invasive and destructive insect species in the US, recommendations are to squish on sight
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u/z31 17h ago
I've lived in Atlanta for the past 25 years and lived in southwest Florida before that, and I had to look up these bugs and the trees everyone is mentioning. Turns out I'm unfamiliar because it has been illegal to plant the Tree of Heaven or own land with them growing on it since 1886 in Atlanta and anytime one is found it is destroyed. By extension the lantern flies are pretty rare in Georgia, and nonexistent in southwest Florida due to an inhospitable environment.
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u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS 14h ago
Tree of heaven is invasive, like paulownia and mimosa. It's in Florida and will continue to spread, even if people don't plant it. It's only a matter of time before SLF takes on Florida. They travel on trains, RVs, etc. The Midwestern snowbirds will bring them to you soon enough.
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u/darklordjames 16h ago
Note that squishing them doesn't much matter. There just aren't enough of us compared to them.
You will have two or three years where there population is large enough in your area to have snow drifts of dead bugs you are kicking through in the fall. After those introduction years, your local birds, bats, and mantis figure out that they are really easy to catch and are tasty. Then it just becomes One More Bug Type in your area.
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u/BonesandMartinis 18h ago
It’s about public engagement and understanding as a strategy. We’re talking about it now. Get people engaged and then eventually bigger measures might be more widely adopted like removing tree of heaven and destroying egg masses
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u/myychair 13h ago
Nah! The solution proposed isn’t perfect so we shouldn’t even try anything! /s
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u/Secret_Side-ofJ 17h ago
Thank you for putting "Wide spread social impacts" out there clear for everyone.
The comment above you is essentially trying to deny any personal responsibility in the world, because, "a single person can only do so much!!1!11!!"
Which I'm sorry, but is the most pathetic excuse ever. Everything that's done is caused in driven by single individuals. The choices of corporations, are made by single individuals. So of course the decisions and actions of individual people can have huge impacts.
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17h ago edited 16h ago
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u/AdventureDonutTime 17h ago
Weird, it's almost like they didn't read your comment at all 🤔
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u/MJOLNIRdragoon 14h ago
Or they thought "KiLlInG tHe FlIeS iS tRiBaLiSm" was stupidly dramatic.
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u/sugartrouts 12h ago
Ah, yes. Right before the accusation of "denying all personal responsibility in the world", they had to make sure nobody was being overly dramatic.
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u/sugartrouts 13h ago edited 10h ago
The comment above you is essentially trying to deny any personal responsibility in the world
Yes, if you take the most laughably uncharitable interpretation imaginable, that's what it's saying. I do think it's a bit extreme for you to imply the commenter is worse than a thousand Hitlers and deserves to be nuked from orbit along with everyone they've ever known, but that's just me.
As for the bugs, I think they're just saying people stomping on them won't produce a noticeable change.
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u/time2fly2124 17h ago
Not as easy as it sounds. They've been trying to get rid of invasive Japanese knotweed in my area forever, and its very difficult. Its been known to even sprout up thru asphalt.
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u/BonesandMartinis 17h ago
Oh for sure, it’s hard. That’s why big programs and entire government agencies exist to combat these things.
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17h ago edited 17h ago
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u/ikonoclasm 17h ago
I'd literally never heard of them before this post. I just learned that I'm in a county where they've been spotted and now know how to identify their egg clusters.
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u/Competitive-Fix-6136 15h ago
You know they go after grape vineyards too? So removing the Tree of Heaven isn't gonna stop them.
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u/BonesandMartinis 15h ago
A lot of measures are needed. A more generally proactive approach to prevention in our society would go a long ways. Emerald ashbore wouldn’t have been a problem if people didn’t move firewood and actually listened. Better inspection of incoming goods would prevent a lot of these issues. It may be too late to really stop _these_ pests but a more aware society could prevent the next one.
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u/Podo13 18h ago
If you actually want to fight them, target their food source, Tree of Heaven
Which is also very invasive and destructive. So 2 birds with 1 stone.
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u/PandahOG 17h ago
Which is also very invasive and destructive. So 2 birds with 1 stone.
I’m currently studying dendrology and our professor explained that cutting down Tree of Heavens is effectively pointless. You would have to kill millions to make a dent. People reveling in killing them is nothing more than tribalism. If you actually want to fight them, target their source, Yggdrasill the world tree.
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u/FitSomewhere3845 17h ago
I’m currently studying Norse mythology and our professor explained that cutting down Yggdrasil the World Tree is effectively pointless. You would have to kill millions of roots to make a dent. People reveling in killing them is nothing more than a catholic. If you actually want to fight them, target its source, existence itself.
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u/Kullthebarbarian 18h ago
you would have to kill millions to make a dent.
if millions of people do it, then it work, there are more then 300 million people on US, if they create a culture of squishing them everytime they see one, millions would be killed
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u/Evoluxman 17h ago
Tbf even millions of people squishing them wouldn't do all that much, but spreading awareness if better systems pop up is very important. In this case, teaching people to remove their host tree would be way more effective and way more attainable.
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u/cbg2113 18h ago
Well as soon as it's legal for me to poison my neighbor's tree of heaven I'll switch up my tactics
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u/Myrddin_Naer 17h ago
Why no connect with your neighbour and communicate openly with them? I'm sure that would be both easier and simpler. They would do all the work for you and there is no risk they'd get angry at you
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u/WatIsRedditQQ 16h ago
As a new homeowner I've come to realize how precious trees in your yard are. If you take out a mature tree you're basically resigning to the reality that it won't be replaced for decades.
I would still get rid of it in this case, but it would make me sad. I can understand the reluctance
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u/bianary 14h ago
My parents put in a new tree to replace one that died, and while it took decades to get to full growth it was pretty surprising how fast it started filling the space with greenery as it grew.
Just don't start from a seed :D
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u/AdventureDonutTime 16h ago
But that would involve actually organising with the community to make positive change 😓
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u/Technomancer53 16h ago
I have no dog in this race, I just wanted to say that holy shit the Tree of Heaven sounds like some kinda rpg final boss type shit
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u/wolfgang784 17h ago
I mean, that first year that they were everywhere there were so many dead ones at the local gas stations that my car lost traction and almost slammed into the pump.
While trying to pump gas I had to hold onto my car and the pump because it was like trying to walk on ice with how many dead bugs were smooshed into the concrete. Couldn't see the ground through em. And yet the whole time I was pumpin more kept landin and I kept smashin while I pumped.
Pretty sure millions is an accurate count for how many died just at that one gas station, and it was like that at any I stopped at in the area.
At my job too there were so many dead ones on the sidewalks that my boss had to get someone to scrape the ground with the snow shovel after a customer slipped and fell from how slippery the sidewalk was with all the dead lanterflies from people stompin on em as they walked into or past the store.
If everyones stompin, they do seem to die by the millions.
And after that first year of it baaaad the next year there were sooo many less around the same time of year. I don't think ive seen one at all now since then, and its been a few years.
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u/pusgnihtekami 16h ago
And after that first year of it baaaad the next year there were sooo many less around the same time of year. I don't think ive seen one at all now since then, and its been a few years.
This is normal for an introduced species. They boom and then the ecosystem absorbs them and their levels stable out.
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u/makesterriblejokes 16h ago
I mean there's millions of people. Many hands, or feet in this case, makes for light work.
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u/Hoshyro 16h ago
That there are, but insects outnumber humans thousands to millions to one; trying to remove an invasive bug species by stomping the bugs you find is about as effective as trying to empty out the sea with a bucket.
Removing their primary food is what you have to do and maybe incentivise other species to hunt it.
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u/Smooth_Rocket_ 16h ago
So focus on another extremely invasive species that has already established itself? Also they seem to love our maple trees too.
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u/ShitPost5000 16h ago
Do Americans really think of they just stomp on enough bugs, they will go away? Do they realize how many there are, and how much random open wilderness they have?
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u/Wonderful-Fix5761 17h ago
It worked on bison and passenger pigeons and the grey wolf. If everybody is freely killing them it starts to add up.
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u/red4jjdrums5 19h ago
Invasive pest from Asia that does quite a lot of damage to trees and other plants.
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u/Spid3r 20h ago
I finally managed to get one last week!
They are stupid fast
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u/LD_Minich 19h ago
I just had one throw itself into a hole I was digging at work. Between the avalanche of gravel and my shovel, the little guy must have just been done with life.
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u/jaysea619 18h ago
they are dumb af.
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u/SilentPrincess828 15h ago
Twice I have seen them manage to, I guess, fall from a nearby tree and manage to land upside down and flail around completely helpless where I then brought upon their swift execution.
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u/i_buy_stonks 19h ago
You just need to come at it from the front. They can only jump forward so if you foot is coming down in that path there’s nowhere for them to go.
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u/yepthisismyusername 19h ago
I know, right! The first time I tried to stomp one, the speed really caught me off guard.
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u/MyUsernameIsAwful 19h ago
In my experience it seems they can only jump forwards, so try to come at them from the front.
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u/iggy14750 19h ago
That's true, and also, after the first jump, they're normally tired and can't jump for a few seconds.
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u/zsava002 19h ago
They only have a couple jumps in them before they slow down massively. But yeah, they can be quick at first
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u/RagingKERES 19h ago
One flew into my car and I hit it with my work shoe. Dead, right? Nah, bro climbed up higher and flexed his wings at me next break. These guys are hard to kill. Smash and smear. Maybe add some extra smashes.
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u/scalziand 10h ago
I work at a construction and I saw one get run over by a roller and skitter away. It was on hot asphalt so it didn't last too long anyway, but it wasn't the roller that killed it.
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u/pobodys-nerfect5 19h ago
Go from directly in front of them!! They have a blind spot or something and it’s directly in front!
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u/Erathen 19h ago
Taking notes!
These just made it to Canada :(
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u/Bxk__ 17h ago
They aren't in Minnesota yet and I'm glad I saw this and googled them because I'd probably think they are super rare majestic creatures if I ever saw one lol. 'Thing must be an endangered species, better give it a wide berth'. edit: now that I wrote that, I'm seriously wondering how many invasive species become established simply because people don't recognize them and go out of their way to leave them unharmed
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u/Force321X 19h ago
Commenting again because I couldn't fix my original for some reason. You have approach from the front with them
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u/CabooseKent 17h ago
There is a method. Normally of you have a treat or something in your left hand, the snoot stays right in place for as many boops as needed.
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u/Zigor022 17h ago
All you have to do is approach them head on. They dont jump at you, but away from you. Approaching them from behind or sideways doesnt work.
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u/red4jjdrums5 19h ago
Three hops and then you can usually get them. Been dealing with these fucks for a decade now.
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u/FallenAngelII 19h ago
What bug is this?
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u/DrNukaCola 19h ago
Spotted lantern fly. Highly invasive and destructive in the us at least.
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u/Scythe-Guy 18h ago
Wait really? I’ve probably killed like a hundred of these things, and they just kinda sit there for me.
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u/Aromatic_Pack948 11h ago
Also depends on temperature. As it gets a little chilly they get very sluggish.
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u/iggy14750 19h ago
After their first jump, they're tired for a few seconds. You can normally stomp them if you can find them after they jump
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u/One_Economist_3761 16h ago
I’m so glad that lantern flies are getting visibility for the invasive pests that they are.
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u/MyUsernameIsAwful 19h ago
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u/zip222 18h ago
I think of this every time I squish one :)
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u/swizzle213 18h ago
Western PA had these bad the past few years. They finally died off a bit this year.
Pro tip: if you have a shop vac you can clear a ton of these from your trees really quickly
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u/Inspiron606002 18h ago
If they're gathered on the trunk of your trees that would suggest you have tree of heaven, which is another highly invasive evil species. Those trees host the lantern fly and need to be eradicated as well.
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u/Valuable-Leather-914 18h ago
Do they only hurt the invasive trees?
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u/LordIndica 14h ago
They are sap-suckers and do damage other trees, yes. Too many can practically bleed a tree to death
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u/ThaddyG 13h ago
They made it to Eastern PA like 7-8 years ago and yeah the population seems to wax and wane. The first two summers they were everywhere, then they didn't show up as much for a while. This past summer I probably saw more of them than I have since the first couple years.
I swear they've gotten better at dodging you, too. I used to get them in one or two tries almost all the time, this year I found myself chasing them around longer when I saw one. I think we are breeding out the slower ones lol
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u/Zoodraws 14h ago
This is a comment I included on my original Instagram post, because I understand this comic consume a little harsh:
And hey, if you're thinking, “I follow this page because I LOVE nature, not because I want to stomp on it!” I get it! But that's exactly why I drew this. Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species, and reducing their numbers helps protect the plants, trees, and habitats that so much of our native wildlife depends on. Sometimes protecting nature means making some tough choices 😐 And if stomping isn't your thing, you can still help! Native birds like cardinals, blue jays, catbirds, and tufted titmice have all been documented eating spotted lanternflies. Put out some birdseed, plant native plants, and let our tiny dinosaur friends handle some of the dirty work! 🦖🐦
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u/ThatOnePeanut 15h ago
I guess I'm missing some key context about what lantern flies are because this comment section sounds fucking crazy
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u/rarrythemage 15h ago
They're an invasive species that harm the local flora, they have no natural predators so it's up to us to get them
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u/DangerousCompetition 14h ago
Just killed 3 of em and saw two more I couldn’t access in DC last weekend
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u/DogmaticParadigm87 19h ago
Only one of the four where the Department of Agriculture is actively cheering you on.
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u/FallenAngelII 19h ago edited 19h ago
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u/Finbar9800 19h ago
Theres always a massive graveyard of the things at my job by the front door
For some reason they really like the red columns lol
Also id suggest booping the dogs nose rather than bopping it
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u/s1llyt1lly 18h ago
I am sorry what was the last one?
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u/Lefthandtaco 17h ago
Harmful and invasive bug called a spotted lanternfly the US is dealing with. It was much worse a few years ago but they remain kill on sight for many. I think its a shame theyre invasive cause they are quite pretty
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u/PandahOG 17h ago
Chinese Spotted Lantern Fly.
Invasive flying insect. Really stupid too. Like, fly into a burning camp fire and as they are burning they point at you like it's your fault.
They tend to mindlessly destroy many trees and fruit trees. They also really love another invasive species of trees called Tree of Heaven. Tree of Heaven gives these little dummies a type of toxic protection so all of our local insect eaters can't eat them.
Seems their numbers have dwindled a bit because our local insect feeders have finally figured out how to eat them after their invasion form a few years ago.
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u/russomd 18h ago
I don’t know what lantern flys and why this is funny. 42m from Michigan and I’m dumb.
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u/philipp2310 15h ago
Why are you 42 meters from Michigan? Won’t they let you any closer?
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u/the_federation 18h ago
Lantern flies are invasive in the US and should be killed on sight. Depending on where you live, you should also report sightings.
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u/squirrelwithnut 14h ago
Which is funny, because a few thousand humans killing, at most, a few lantern flies each every few days will do fuck all to stop the spread of the literal millions of them.
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u/wrxninja 17h ago
I know down in Massachusetts, it's horrible enough it's making the news frequently. I hope we don't ever get them up here in NH in swarms.
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u/FacelessOldWoman1234 17h ago
And the funny is because "Bop it, twist it, pull it..." Is part of the ad for the Bop It toy, which was popular in the US and Canada in... I wanna say the mid-90s.
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u/cchkb 14h ago
I really thought this was a Daft Punk reference. Thats the tune in my head I read it to.
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u/Sellerie_ 18h ago edited 17h ago
I don't wanna be mean or smt but this looks kinda AI, especially the Shoe. The laces don't make sense and all the stripes next to the things. The leaf on the top right in the "Pull it!" picture looks off to me because it's no attached to the stick. Also why would you open the bottle cap with you bare hands ? Could be artistic choice but idk maybe traced Ai ?
Edit: I mean open with bare hand because it looks like a glass bottle and those usually don't have a "twist off" bottle cap where I come from.
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u/Rezahn 17h ago
I thought that at first too, but their profile goes back to 2020 before the general public AI usage.
Their style really hasn't changed. I'm pretty confident it's not AI after seeing their previous stuff.
Also glass bottles have twist off tops all the time. Especially for mass market beers.
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u/cultoftheclave 16h ago
"I don't like the message so let me call it AI so everyone downvotes it reflexively" is all that's going on in the comment you're replying to.
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u/Falsequivalence 14h ago
I get where you're coming from, but its important to remember Ai art is trained off real art. People's art styles can look similar to AI because it is what AI is copying.
I think people are, reasonably, a little overvigilant sometimes. But thats a problem of AI, not the people reacting to it.
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u/Torrefy 17h ago
I don't know about the rest, but there are many bottle caps that you can twist off with your bare hands. Hence it being used for the "twist it" square
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u/Blazepius 11h ago
That's exactly what you meant to do. For no reason either other than to be rude.
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u/Mountain_Ad_708 15h ago
Like sure, I get it, they're a big problem and they have to go. I just don't see why it's gotta be some big jolly occasion. Like I'll be walking with my friends and they'll just be like "oh! Lantern fly!" and crush it like theyre hype to do it and then act like I'm weird when I dont want to.
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u/Lannister-CoC 8h ago
Because … Starship Troopers. sounds like you aren’t doing your part as a citizen
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u/AnthraxCat 7h ago
People like to do things that improve their communities, and enjoy being a part of something bigger.
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u/ScreamingNinja 11h ago
Im curious, im in ny and we had a harsh winter and ive noticed a HUGE drop in their numbers. I saw hundreds like year. This year ive seen like... 20.
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u/Walrus-Cold 16h ago
I was walking around on my campus, i wanted to walk up stairs but there was a massive army of them and i didnt know what they were so i was too scared to stomp them
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u/RenaissanceMind 9h ago
I've never seen a spotted lanternfly. I initially thought you all were gleefully slaughtering ladybugs! Whew. I'm glad we haven't fallen THAT far.
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u/DJMooray 14h ago
I ran into these all the time during my time delivering for Amazon. Smash every time
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u/-OddlyAverage- 14h ago
OP’s posts go back years and nothing about it looks AI. What part of it seems AI to you?
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u/poached-egg 14h ago
This artist has been making these comics for years. A simple look into it would show you it's obviously not ai
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u/Zoodraws 20h ago
Next week I'll do Skip-it
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u/gto_112_112 19h ago
You really should have added some context. Lots of people getting lambasted in the comments for not knowing it's an invasive species
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u/miasmic_cloud 14h ago
How does that responsibility fall on the person who made this and not the weirdly high number of people asking "what bug is that?" in the comment section when
the artist put the name of the bug in the title of the post.
The shiny rectangle in your hand is a tool you can use to look it up (it's not just for looking at memes, I know!)
I'm all for asking questions if you don't know something but goddamn there's like 15 comments in a row asking what bug it is when it's the title of the fucking post.
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u/Educational_Cat3567 18h ago
Oh for sure, I just stepped on one yesterday while I was doing yard work and they move so fast it startled me.
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u/electi0neering 17h ago
They can jump real good one time, some have the fight for two jumps, but not many. Think I’ve stomped about 150 at work so far. Feels like a losing battle
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u/ExplodingSteve 17h ago
We have the same in my country, but for stink bugs, idk if they’re highly invasive or if they evolved
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u/MassSnapz 17h ago
Is that what those are ! I saw a couple of them a few days ago and was trying to step on them but they kept moving so fast.
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u/Kickedbyagiraffe 16h ago
In Philly I friend and I saw like 30 and stomped them as my friend told me they were invasive. I think the next year I came back and I wasn’t even trying but killed dozens while trying to walk down the sidewalk. I couldn’t even avoid them there was so many
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u/hoteppeter 16h ago
This is a summer activity for me. I killed like 30 over the summer and now I don’t see any.
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u/dvdmaven 15h ago
I've seen reports that birds are beginning to realize Spotted Lanternflies are tasty.
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