An invasive insect capable of destroying agricultural crops has been spotted more frequently in Georgia this summer, prompting experts to offer simple advice to those who encounter it.
If you see a spotted lanternfly, take a picture, report the bug and then kill it.
The insect, which first landed in Georgia last fall, has been seen multiple times this summer, with 19 confirmed sightings, all in Fulton County.
Native to Asia, the bug feeds on more than 70 plant species, including important economic crops like hardwood trees, roses, hops, grapevines and stone fruits, posing a threat to Georgia’s agriculture. It leaves behind a foul-smelling, sugary and sticky residue called honeydew, which is known to attract more pests.
Lanternflies have spread across 19 U.S. states since they first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2014 and were most recently spotted in South Carolina. They spread through imported goods, initially jumping from China, Taiwan and Vietnam to South Korea and Japan before arriving in the U.S.
They are relatively easy to spot. They are about an inch long and have black spots along their grayish-brown front wings and hind wings splotched with cream, black and red patches.
“As lanternfly activity reaches its peak during the late summer and fall, we continue to ask Georgians not only to report suspected sightings but to kill any lanternflies they come across,” Matthew Agvent, communications director for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement. “Citizen engagement will be vital to ensuring we are able to properly manage the spotted lanternfly in Georgia.”
The insect’s peak season is summer, which Elizabeth McCarty, an associate professor in the department of forestry and natural resources at the University of Georgia, said could be responsible for the recent uptick in sightings.
“We get reports, and then we’re able to see how big, how widespread this infestation is, but we don’t know that the population has increased,” she said.
McCarty advises the public to report the insect online through the Georgia Department of Agriculture and to visit their local UGA extension county office for additional support.
“We really want public engagement in reporting it because we can’t be everywhere all the time,” she said.
Unfortunately, it’s not the only invasive insect that officials have spotted in or near Georgia that has led to warnings in recent months. So-called “killer bees,” which can sting people to death, were spotted on the Alabama border in addition to Asian needle ants and yellow-legged hornets in the state.
— Staff writer Drew Kann contributed to this article.
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