If You See These Weird Insects in Your Yard it’s Already Too Late

Hudson Valley homeowners have been taking pictures of a strange-looking bug that has begun to swarm in local backyards. While they look harmless, it's what they turn into that could ruin the rest of your summer.

If you've started spotting tiny black bugs with bright white spots hopping around your patio, pool deck or backyard, you're living on the front line of the next wave of one of the Hudson Valley's most destructive invasive pests.

A. Boris

Those little insects are actually spotted lanternfly nymphs, and their appearance is one of the earliest signs that another lanternfly season is ramping up across the region.

After exploding across much of the Hudson Valley over the last several years, spotted lanternflies have become an unwelcome summer tradition. While the adults look very different and don't usually appear until late summer, the young nymphs begin showing up much earlier, often gathering around landscaping, gardens, trees and even backyard swimming pools. Many homeowners are now reporting seeing dozens of the tiny insects hopping across decks, sidewalks and lawns.

A. Boris

Homeowners can be forgiven for not properly identifying these invasive pests as they first hatch. Early-stage lanternflies are black with bright white spots and are only about the size of a pencil eraser. As they grow, they develop their distinctive red coloring before eventually becoming the gray-winged adults that most people recognize.

The bad news is that once you're seeing large numbers of nymphs, they've likely already hatched nearby. Spotted lanternflies lay egg masses on almost any hard surface during the fall, including trees, firewood, outdoor furniture, campers, trailers and even rocks. Those eggs survive the winter and hatch in late spring and early summer.

While it's nearly impossible to eliminate them completely, there are a few things homeowners can do to help keep their numbers down. Squashing nymphs whenever you see them is one of the simplest options. You can also scrape egg masses into a container of rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer during the fall and winter before they hatch. Removing tree-of-heaven, one of the lanternfly's favorite host trees, can also reduce suitable habitat around your property.

A. Boris

Unfortunately, the Hudson Valley has learned that once spotted lanternflies come to your yard, they usually don't go away. Swarms of these invasive plants are not only annoying, but can also be quite destructive. The sticky sap they feed on can choke out plants, killing entire trees and drawing in other nuisance insects like mosquitoes.

But catching them early, before they become the large swarms that appear later in the summer, can help slow their spread and make your backyard a little less inviting to this destructive invasive species.