Can we actually kill all the spotted lanternflies?

Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Over the summer, for the first time in what feels like a while, Americans united under a single cause: to murder an invasive bug.

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but the situation itself was a bit dramatic. Social media was flooded with people in New York City, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey striking down spotted lanternflies in the most creative ways. Videos of the plant-sucking bugs that are native to parts of Asia showed them overtaking trees. Reports from Pennsylvania said they were capable of wiping out vineyards. Researchers warned they also threaten fruit trees and the hardwoods like black walnut. The public went on high alert. The messaging was clear: Stop this bug before it decimates the fruit and timber industries and costs the US tons of money.

People struck them down all summer long, and now that it’s fall … well, they’re still here. And they’ve spread.

Is it futile? That depends. If you set out with your flyswatters and sticky traps thinking we could wipe out every lanternfly, then you were a bit misguided. But just because we can’t stop them entirely doesn’t mean we should quit.

Kristie Reddick, an entomologist and director of The Bug Chicks, put it best: “People cleaning trash out of creeks aren't going to be like, ‘Oh, I picked up, like, three bags of trash and there's still more trash. I guess there's just trash now.’” Spotted lanternflies are the trash in this metaphor.

Check out the video above to find out more about spotted lanternflies and the part humans have played in spreading them around the US.

Read more from Benji Jones on Vox.com:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-healt...

For more on where these bugs are:
https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/rep...

For more information on lanternflies and their life cycle:
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lan...
https://extension.psu.edu/have-you-se...
https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environmen...
https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environmen...
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/reso...

For more on the economic impact:
https://extension.psu.edu/scientists-...

For more on Kristie and Jessica, check out their website: https://thebugchicks.com/

Make sure you never miss behind-the-scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: http://vox.com/video-newsletter

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com

Support Vox's reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: http://vox.com/contribute-now

Shop the Vox merch store: http://vox.com/store

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE

Follow Vox on Facebook:   / vox  
Follow Vox on Twitter:   / voxdotcom  
Follow Vox on TikTok:   / voxdotcom