State officials and Cornell University staff teamed up Thursday to show New Yorkers recommended strategies for killing spotted lanternflies.

“Once you see one, you’ll get used to it and can really attack them,” Justin Perry, bureau chief of the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, said.

Experts say New Yorkers should also look out for eggs.

What You Need To Know

  • Officials shared strategies to kill spotted lanternflies at Roberto Clemente Park

  • Spotted lanternflies feed off of the sap of more than 70 plant species

  • Officials say this is concerning for the grape industry in New York

  • Recommended strategies that were discussed included traps, stepping on the spotted lanternflies and scraping away egg sacs with a credit card

Officials said spotted lanternflies start laying their egg sacs at the end of September and they have a sort of dried mud-type appearance.  

They say a place you might find them is in the wheel well of your car, and it is recommended to take your credit card and scrape them away.

“The scraping of the eggs and checking your vehicles because it’s not just the eggs even at this time of year, when you’re traveling you also want to look for any of the spotted lantern flies themselves,” Perry said.

Officials say spotted lanternflies feed off the sap of more than 70 plant species in New York, which is detrimental to the state’s agriculture.

“In particular, when we talk about spotted lanternflies, we are very concerned about the grape industry in New York,” Chris Logue, director for plant industry at New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets, said.

The spotted bugs are harmless to humans, but officials say New Yorkers need to help stop the spread of them.

The spotted lanternfly is native to China and was first spotted on Staten Island in August 2020. Since then, they’ve been reported all over the city.

“Sometimes you get to swat one or two, but they jump,” Ismael Rodriguez said.

As he barbecued at Roberto Clemente Park, he described the spotted lanternflies he’s seen in the past few years.

Rodriguez said he found them in his neighborhood and that he’ll continue to kill them to protect the city’s environment.

“They’re supposed to be damaging trees and stuff and I know that is part of the big movement now to try to get rid of them,” he said.

For more information on how to put together a trap, head to the New York state Pest Management program website.