Coping With Spotted Lantern Fly Death
By Kate Norrish Staff Writer
Over the summer, during my frequent hiking trips and lake swims, I often saw paper signs in informational stands near the entrances of hiking trails. They showed pictures of spotted lanternflies with text saying to kill any you may come across, because they eat the trunks and stems of local plants, causing intense damage. The photographs portrayed a lima bean-sized insect with a black head and large, pale purple wings forming a rounded shape over its body. The wings have several black spots throughout their surface, and their tips are striped.
Some posters I saw also showed pictures of the insect’s larvae, which are orange-red and shaped similarly to ticks, with black and white spots on their backs.
I was told soon after by a local ecologist in my small, rural town that the bugs have not actually entered Western and Central Massachusetts yet, and therefore most of those informational pieces were in preparation.
A couple of weeks after I moved onto campus this semester, I realized that is no longer true. While the first few specimens I saw were stomped-on remains around FSU’s brick paths, I soon found a live one on the way to class. I tried catching it in my hands to absolutely make sure it was a spotted lanternfly, and that a similar insect was not being killed for no reason, but soon after, it flew away, and because I didn’t want to be late, I could not take the time to find it again. I have never been averse to ripping invasive plants, such as bittersweet root and peppermint out of the ground when needed. However, I am not alone in saying that I am not as comfortable killing an animal. I’ve always felt that ideally, invasive species should be killed for the purpose of being eaten, such as the nutria rodents residing in North America’s Pacific Northwest, as well as the coast of The Gulf of Mexico. I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion to say this is not a great option for a bug.
I am not alone in my discomfort. I have talked to multiple people who said they would not stomp on the bugs, and some have even claimed that there is no reason to, as they only eat crops used for agriculture, causing no harm to native species.
While that fact is true - with the spotted lanternfly’s main victims being the wood of stone fruit trees and grapevines - according to the USDA, we need to remember that all of us need those crops to be able to eat. A New England without spotted lanternflies would be beneficial to the environment, as it would lead to farmers being able to plant a smaller amount, prevent carbon emissions from shipping crops in from other areas, and limit the amount of pesticides needed to maintain the crops.
This is a moral dilemma I have dealt with since I was a young child. When I attended a yearly agricultural camp, we would collect invasive Colorado Potato Beetles from the crops we were managing and drown them in a bucket, which I found extremely cruel. I would also frequently rescue Japanese Beetles I found in bodies of water in the summer, even after I was told they caused harm to native species.
By contrast, it was not uncommon for me to see elements of animal death as a child. Beyond my history with keeping pet rodents and coping with their short lifespan, I lived near a slaughterhouse, and therefore was relatively accustomed to seeing the corpses of cows and pigs. It was never unheard of to smash the head of a groundhog or rabbit with a rock when they were in pain and nothing else could be done about it. Therefore, I imagine this would be even more difficult for those who did not grow up with those kinds of experiences.
To this day, I will always try to trap insects that end up in my home under a cup and drop them off outside, but spotted lanternflies require a different emotional experience.
For the fellow insect lovers reading this, it is unfortunately important for our community to prevent these insects from further permeating the environment we live in. Personally, I plan to say a prayer when and if I have to kill a spotted lanternfly, but if that’s not for you, eat a small snack you like afterwards, or think about the positive impact your action will have.
And for those of you who hate bugs, consider this your opportunity to stomp out your feelings.
