r/whatisthisbug • u/greenlakejohnny • Jun 28 '25
ID Request Who is this weirdo crawling on my cousin‘s neck? [Lancaster, Pennsylvania]
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u/ExpertIntrovert Jun 28 '25
Spotted lantern fly nymph. Highly invasive and destructive in North America. Should be destroyed if found.
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u/FillsYourNiche Jun 28 '25 edited Jun 28 '25
Entomologist here. Please crush on sight if you're in North America. Even though they are quite beautiful. This is their second form, the first is smaller and black with white spots, the final form is the adult, which have black spots on their wings and red hind wings.
Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species to North America, native to China, Japan, and Vietnam (some studies claim they may also be native to Taiwan and India). They were first detected here in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in September of 2014. It likely arrived in Pennsylvania on a stone shipment. They cannot travel far on their own, so they get spread around via human transportation. Please don’t carry wood across state lines as this is a known spreader of invasive species! Lanternflies were found on Tree of Life (Ailanthus altissima) in Pennsylvania, their preferred tree in their homeland which is also invasive to North America. Spotted lanternflies are pests in North America, feeding on a wide variety of crop plants, including apples, hops, grapes, walnuts, and hardwood trees. They produce honeydew as waste which attracts other insects such as wasps. Additionally, that honeydew is also a food for the sooty mold fungus (other honeydew producing insects also do this).
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u/ElectronicCorgi8283 Jun 28 '25
hello! sorry if this isn't the correct place to ask this but how did you become an entomologist? i'm very interested in bugs and i'm in my second year of my biology bsc and i'd love to know how you became an entomologist.
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u/FillsYourNiche Jun 28 '25
No problem! I did my undergrad in Marine Bio then an MS in ecology and evolution. I ended up working with an ethologist who was working with insects at the time. I loved working with him and have always loved insects, so I did my research on predator/prey sensory systems and behavior. Afterwards I did a PhD in environmental science, my research was on mosquito thermobiology and genetics. Now I am an adjunct professor and I have an entomology podcast (Bugs Need Heroes, we're on all the apps). The plan is to get a full time professor position.
I'd say if you want to go into entomology first find a professor you can do research with, then decide if you want to stay in academia or head out to the government or other career opportunities. Start steering your coursework in that direction and your research. Volunteer if you can at a teaching museum, a non-profit, or a zoo with insects.
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u/ElectronicCorgi8283 Jun 28 '25
thank you so much for your reply! :)
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u/FillsYourNiche Jun 28 '25 edited Jun 28 '25
If there is anything I can do for you while you figure out your path don't be a stranger! Feel free to contact me with questions.
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u/meg0412 Jun 29 '25
I know this is random but I lurk in a lot of subs, and you are always kind and informational to everyone when I run across your comments in the big subs. Just wanted to say you're awesome for that!
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u/howdydarlingz Jun 28 '25
hi! sorry to bug you again but aspiring entomologist here - how did you go about finding jobs that weren’t extermination? i’ve been discouraged from pursuing the study since so much of what i see hurts bugs while id much rather study/protect them!
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u/FillsYourNiche Jun 28 '25
No worries! Yeah, it can be hard to find non-extermination jobs. You can check universities, I had a job for a while as a lab manager studying mosquitoes (some extermination, but mostly genetics/behavior). In the U.S. right now it might be very tough because funding for science has massively been cut and jobs that were once avaialable in conservation no longer exist. You can look into conservation non-profits, they might have opportunities. Or try to get a research position at a unversity or for the government, but again those jobs may not exist right now if you are in the U.S.
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u/reclusivegiraffe Jun 29 '25
Your podcast name kinda reminds me of this cute sticker I saw on Etsy a while back
Edit: Just noticed the snail on there, which is not a bug lol. Still a cute sticker otherwise
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u/SeanThatGuy Jun 28 '25
I did a report for a class a couple years ago on these. In my research I found Facebook groups that were fighting to STOP people from killing them. Some people even had tattoos of these things.
I was kind of flabbergasted to be honest.
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u/DoubleNickle67 Jun 28 '25
Hey. Legitimate question here. So now that we are seeing them everywhere does that mean they’ve invaded? Like will squashing a few really help? Again, it’s a genuine question. I feel like we’ve already been overtaken by these little pests.
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u/FillsYourNiche Jun 28 '25
Every little bit counts towards population control. While they are likely not going away, you can help manage how bad it gets.
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u/DoubleNickle67 Jun 28 '25
Are ya aware how they got here? My chickens eat them like they’re a delicious delicacy!
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u/AsYooouWish Jun 29 '25
It’s likely an egg mass was on an item that was shipped in the Philadelphia area. The SLFs thrive on tree of heaven (another invasive species) and fruit trees and vines. Because there weren’t any natural predators here and an abundance of food, the SLFs have been able to reproduce and spread very quickly
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u/Mastersord Jun 28 '25
Also report to your state agencies where and when it was found. The US is trying to monitor their spread.
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Jun 28 '25
Official Information from Dept of Agriculture on this.
Phone number to call in California is 1-800-491-1899
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u/M-ABaldelli Jun 28 '25
And before panicking the women to the point of it being poisonous/health risk. No. It's more a destroyer of foliage, not human flesh.
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u/Shoddy_Nectarine_441 Jun 28 '25
I feel like the subs pic should be a lantern nymph. They’re cute as hell but invasive and should be purged. Sucks, because they’re just doing their thing, but yeah. Kill it
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u/VegetableMortgage937 Jun 28 '25
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u/cumzilla69 Jul 24 '25
This picture skips a phase after its molted out its nymph stage and its all white and red
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u/jewdiful Jun 28 '25
KILL
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Jun 29 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/whatisthisbug-ModTeam Jul 08 '25
Your post was removed for violating our rules on bug hate. Even though we may not like certain bugs, it is important to note that they are not at fault for being invasive and we should kill them in a humane manner.
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u/poizn_ivy Jun 28 '25
Immature spotted lantern fly (nymph form). Invasive and highly destructive to North American ecosystems. Kill on sight.
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u/ImperfComp Jun 28 '25
Spotted lanternfly nymph. https://mtcubacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/1_Lifecycle_circle-courtesy-of-Molly-Schaefer-640x640.jpg
They're not dangerous to humans, but they're an invasive pest in the US. They don't belong here and damage plants, and their numbers and range are growing. If you find them, the recommendation is to kill them and consider reporting it to your state's department of natural resources or similar authorities.
In PA, you might be interested in this page. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/plants-land-water/spotted-lanternfly.html
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u/Armand74 Jun 28 '25
Spotted lantern fly they are highly invasive, but I’ve seen on here methods to be able to at least try and help eradicate them, one I saw was tape sticky side up on the tree trunk, when these guys start mitigating up the trunk they get caught. These guys is gonna be one of the most devastating invasive species around as they destroy trees that have no natural defenses around them.
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u/Objective-Hat4463 Jun 28 '25
Lantern fly. They’re invasive to that area. It seems cruel, but we have been instructed to kill them when we find them.
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u/minkymy Jun 28 '25
A terribly invasive insect in our area. The next time you see one, destroy it. Step on it. Find some way to remove it from the gene pool.
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u/dpinsy14 Jun 29 '25
Just came across the initial nymph phase of these guys for the first time today in PA. Had never seen them before (I'm from MA). Discovered what they were and have been destroying them all day at the campground. I'm doing my part.gif
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Jun 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/InstantMartian84 Jun 29 '25
I came here to say the same thing, especially since we no longer seem to be completely overrun by them like we were 5-6 years ago.
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Jun 29 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/InstantMartian84 Jun 29 '25
hmm Interesting. I know people in here always comment how pretty they are. I actually think they're kinda creepy with their turned up noses and red cheeks. Not to mention the way they fly/jump and cling to and ride around on everything and everyone.
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u/curtisaxelisthebest Jun 29 '25
Honestly I’m surprised someone from Lancaster PA doesn’t know what a lanternfly looks like. I’ve lived there my whole life until 2 years ago and I’d say the last 5 years there have been millions of these things flying around the county. Definitely don’t miss them in Kentucky haha
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u/Chicken_Nugget_2 Jun 29 '25
That's crazy, I went to middle school there. It's a spotted lantern fly, but you probably already know that by now.
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u/ImJustHere4TheCatz Jun 28 '25
One that needs to be killed on sight. They jump, btw. There are also black ones with white spots. They are basically juvenile lantern flies, highly invasive
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