You might have seen the spotted lanternflies swarming a tree on a walk, landing on you while you are playing sports, sitting outside of the entrances to the school or even appearing in your car or bag mysteriously. Either way we’ve all had a time where a lanternfly has scared or annoyed us around Lightridge.
Lanternflies are an invasive species originally from Asia. They don’t harm people, and they don’t really go after plants. They are most harmful to trees.
The tree of heaven is also an invasive species, and a type of tree that lanternflies are the most attracted to. They damage the trees in two ways. First, by feeding off them. They also release a sap called honeydew. The honeydew piles up on the trees and over time it molds. The mold is what further damages the tree.
“There’re a lot of the tree of heaven around,” said Science Department Chair Dawn Buskey. “Other trees they go for are maples and things with smooth bark”
You can find lanternflies all around campus, but one of the places you will find them the most frequently is the sports fields. Although they haven’t disturbed a sports event from going on as scheduled, they are very visibly irritating to spectators. They also gather near the door of the athletic entrance so people who are trying to go inside the building have to step on a bunch of lanternflies.
“They are more of just a nuisance,” said Athletic Director Jason Treon.
The athletes who are practicing and playing games outside are also seeing the high volume of lanternflies.
“They disrupt our practice,” said junior Lauren Antonacci. “They fly on people and they get scared and they scream.”
A solution to this problem would be to simply step on them when you see them. If you see them in masses you can also kill them with a spray.
“Spray them with a diluted dawn dish detergent. You just put a squirt in a bottle and add water and spray it on them,” said Buskey.
We are currently in a season where athletes are constantly outside for practice, and students are outside for football games, walking home from school, PE or warm weather. Everyone can help out by killing a spotted lanternfly when you see it because the population is only going to rise and we are the only predators they have.
