Right Now in Illinois is the Best Time to Kill These Bugs

This extremely invasive insect is to be killed on sight, which comes straight from insect experts. Right now is the best time to kill them.

Kill It, Smash It

When you discover what this pest can do, you'll understand the mission given to us by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and why RIGHT NOW is the best time to kill them

This is not the first time we've been warned about this invasive species, We were told to KILL IT IMMEDIATELY.

The message hasn't changed!

Plant life will never be the same if we keep allowing this species' population to grow. We didn't do enough last year and now the experts are warning that this spring we will see far more than ever before.

Illinois' Most Unwanted Insect

For people who are reluctant to kill bugs and insects, and you might be when you see how colorful this insect is, you need to know what they're capable of. Plus, you're going to read something down the page a little that may make you less committed to the task you must perform.

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The Spotted Lanternfly

These flies don't fly very long distances before landing on your favorite tree, your deck, the kids' playground set, or your gazebo and do their own form of 'killing'.

They lay their egg masses on over 70 different types of plants; most at-risk include apple, apricot, peach, maple, oak, walnut, and cherry trees.

If you're a wine drinker, your motivation to kill the spotted lanternfly is because they like to destroy grapevines.

This insect is also not native to America.

How Did The Spotted Lanternfly Get to the U.S.

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How experts believe they got here, is why you should be diligent in checking all of your outdoor surfaces in the spring. According to a recent story from The Guardian,

Experts believe that spotted lanternflies entered the US in a shipping crate. Native to China, they were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have since spread to at least 14 states.

The only positive about this insect is that it isn't harmful to humans. Regardless of this fact, kill the spotted lanternfly on sight.

Smash it.

Squash it.

Just get rid of it.

The beginning of the fall season is the best time to kill lanternflies because September marks the beginning of the egg-laying season.

How to Kill Spotted Lanternfly Eggs

If you spot an egg mass, just scrape it with a credit card or something else that has a hard edge. You'll need to press hard enough on the egg mass to make it pop to know you completed the task. You can also toss the eggs into a plastic bag and squirt hand sanitizer on them to kill them or put the bag in the freezer to kill them. Whatever method you use just make sure they don't survive.

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Illinois' environment is inviting to the spotted lanternfly, so it's only a matter of time before their population grows.