Subscribe and activate notifications so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Over the summer, for the first time in a long time, Americans united around a single cause: eliminating an invasive insect.
Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but the situation itself was a bit dramatic. Social media has been flooded with people in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey destroying spotted lanternflies in the most creative ways. Videos of plant-sucking bugs native to parts of Asia showed them overtaking trees. Reports from Pennsylvania indicated that they were capable of destroying vineyards. Researchers have warned that they also threaten fruit trees and hardwoods like black walnut. The public was on alert. The message was clear: stop this bug before it decimates the fruit and forestry industries and costs the United States tons of money.
People have been cutting them down all summer, and now that it's fall…well, they're still here. And they spread.
Is it futile? It depends. If you set out with your fly swatters and sticky traps thinking we could eliminate all the lanternflies, then you were a little wrong. But just because we can't stop them completely doesn't mean we should stop.
Kristie Reddick, entomologist and director of The Bug Chicks, said it best: "People who clean up trash from streams aren't going to say, 'Oh, I picked up three bags of trash and there's still more waste. I guess it's just trash now. » The spotted lanternfly are the waste in this metaphor.
Watch the video above to learn more about spotted lanternflies and the role humans have played in their spread across the United States.
Read more about Benji Jones on Vox.com:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2022/9/16/23353428/spotted-lanternfly-invasive-species
To learn more about the location of these bugs:
https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/b0bae43d-c65f-4f88-bc9a-323f3189cd35/page/QUCkC
For more information on lanterns and their life cycle:
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly
https://extension.psu.edu/have-you-seen-a-spotted-lanternfly
https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-species-exotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/
https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-species-exotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly-resources/
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-threat/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly
To learn more about the economic impact:
https://extension.psu.edu/scientists-examine-potential-enomic-impact-of-spotted-lanternfly-in-pennsylvania
To learn more about Kristie and Jessica, check out their website: https://thebugchicks.com/
Make sure you never miss behind-the-scenes content from the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: http://vox.com/video-newsletter
Vox.com is a news site that helps you cut through the noise and understand what really drives the events that make headlines. Visit http://www.vox.com
Support Vox reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: http://vox.com/contribute-now
Shop the Vox merchandise store: http://vox.com/store
Watch our complete video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://facebook.com/vox
Follow Vox on Twitter: http://twitter.com/voxdotcom
Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom
Please take the opportunity to connect and share this video with your friends and family if you find it useful.
