Spotted lanternfly population has increased across DMV, expert says
Increased numbers of spotted lanternflies across DMV
It’s not your imagination—an expert tells FOX 5 that the DMV really does have more spotted lantern flies this year than usual. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal reports.
BETHESDA, Md. - It’s not your imagination—an expert tells FOX 5 that the DMV really does have more spotted lantern flies this year than usual.
The backstory:
Spotted lantern flies are an invasive species from Asia. They first popped up in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, crossed the Maryland line in 2018, and are now in more than a dozen states, explained the University of Maryland’s "Bug Guy" Michael Raupp.
He added they don’t bite or sting, and they mostly won’t hurt your residential plants or garden. But, they do seem to be all over.
Big picture view:
So, why is it that spotted lantern flies seem to be even more prevalent in the region this year than in the past?
Raupp listed three main reasons:
- They are more widespread than they used to be.
- When the flies arrive in a new area, often people don’t notice them until the population eventually increases dramatically.
- Raupp explained that when the flies first hatch, they’re small. Then they grow, making them literally larger and therefore easier to see.
What's next:
While you may not like seeing spotted lantern flies all over the place now, Raupp said Mother Nature may take care of the problem in due time.
"You may remember back to 2005 when people were going nuts because of the brown marmorated stink bug—what happened to that thing? Well, there’s a number of natural enemies. I call it ‘Mother Nature’s hit squad,’" Raupp said. "As we get these invasive species in, their populations will go up and the populations of these invasive species will go down."
The question, of course, is just how long will we have to wait?