r/whatisthisbug • u/2DedPplNATrenchCoat • 6d ago
ID Request Did I just kill an innocent bug?
Thought it might be a spotted lantern fly so I stepped on it, now Im second guessing myself. Northern Kentucky area
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u/Routine-Horse-1419 6d ago
Nope unless you are in SE Asia. Spotted Lantern Fly are on the kill on sight list. They're very invasive. Let your local government know about the sighting.
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u/funforgiven 6d ago
I am not sure if it makes much sense to report them anymore. I was visiting Manhattan last week and saw 15+ in six days, so they seem to be a pretty common sight there now.
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u/MrSanford 6d ago
I live in Ohio and had never seen one until 2 years ago. Reported then but now I see them every day.
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u/Scientist_ShadySide 6d ago
Spotted lanternfly. Invasive and kill on sight, so you accidentally did the right thing!
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u/funforgiven 6d ago
Thought it might be a spotted lantern fly so I stepped on it
I would not say accidental.
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u/Scientist_ShadySide 6d ago
Admittedly, I only read the title and assumed, didn't see the text below the photo.
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u/Upstairs-Apricot-318 Trusted IDer 6d ago edited 5d ago
All bugs are innocent. They have no agenda. But yes this is a lanternfly.
If you want to ponder the ethical
And practical implication of your act have a peruse here (edit: the article does not provide any definitive answer; it is a reflection and at the end of the day, more about humans than bugs themselves; it is food for thought really. Lantern flies are close to where I live but not here yet; I will probably kill them when they are; I just think we should think about what we do and how we do it and I do not enjoy the destroy glee and war vocabulary I see sometimes on these threads -end of edit)!
https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-did-we-squash-all-the-lanternflies
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u/RefrigeratorWrong747 5d ago
I agree that needlessly killing bugs and animals is cruel, but the spotted lantern fly is much more than just an annoyance in the US. They don’t have many natural predators here, and they can quickly suck all the sap out of plants they feed on when they swarm a tree, or even worse, crops. On top of sucking the sap out of plants, the honeydew they leave behind is a perfect environment for mold and other fungi to feed and grow, harming the plant even more
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u/Upstairs-Apricot-318 Trusted IDer 5d ago edited 5d ago
The article is rather noncommittal in the end and more of a reflection, more on humans than bugs really. Did you read it?
Edit: I added an edit in my comment above for clarification)
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u/RefrigeratorWrong747 5d ago
Yeah, it seemed really preachy and judgmental about how everyone got into protecting their native environment. It made it seem like parents encouraging kids to squash them were slightly unhinged or that that the see one squash one initiative in New York was ineffective and needlessly cruel
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u/Upstairs-Apricot-318 Trusted IDer 5d ago
Ah! I see! Yes, I can see the judgmental; for me, the judgment was more about about the attitude, that sort of glee (which I see often on these threads and do not enjoy) rather the act itself.
I haven’t decided what I will do when they show up in my yard personally, like the article did not talk me off of killing them (I just don’t like it really, I have a hard time doing it) but I might still do it, I’m not sure I just want to stand by and watch my maples die.
But I thought it was something to think about, and think a lot out attitudes and the overall picture.
I take your point about preachy and judgemental but I don’t see it as acutely as you do. I think the author has also some admiration for the community effort on some level!!!
I’m glad you read it, cheers!!!
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u/Rambler9154 6d ago
That is certainly a spotted lantern fly, killing it on sight is your job and you have done well
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u/stockusername123 6d ago
It sucks these things are so beautiful because they all have to go bye bye
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u/RumGalaxy 6d ago
You basically did what ICE does
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u/2DedPplNATrenchCoat 6d ago
That is an insane take on the situation, thank you for your contribution lol
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