"Crush them!": USA declares war on insect plague - metropolis of New York affected
Created: 10/25/2022, 3:30 p.m
By: Michelle Brey
The Spotted Lantern Bearer Cicada is a topic of conversation in the USA.
© Andy Lavalley/dpa
The northeastern United States is teeming with insects.
The authorities made an unusual call to the population to fight the plague.
New York/Munich – They are small, crawl and hop and can currently be found everywhere in the USA: the spotted lantern-bearing cicadas.
The north-east is therefore struggling with a real plague of insects.
It's no wonder that animals seem to be omnipresent in the media, in conversations, but above all in the environment.
From forests, meadows, parks and fields to the metropolis of New York.
According to scientists at Pennsylvania State University, this is where the insects feel most comfortable on the glass and concrete high-rise buildings' outer walls, which are warmed by the sun.
Insect plague in the USA: the spotted lantern-hopper
Spotted Lantern Bearer Cicada
Scientific name: Lycorma delicatula
Origin: Southeast Asia and China
Adult wings partly conspicuously dotted with black and partly bright red.
First sighted in Pennsylvania in 2014.
It was not until 2022 that the insects spread across 14 states.
They don't seem to have made it to Europe at first.
"A danger": Insect plague poses problems for the USA
While the insects are harmless to humans, they "pose a hazard to many fruit plants and trees," according to the US Department of Agriculture.
They pierce leaves and stalks, suck out plants and have already caused millions of dollars in damage.
"If we allow it to spread across the US, this plague could seriously damage wine, fruit and lumber production," the ministry said.
"Just get rid of them!" Unusual appeal to US citizens over insect infestation
To combat the insects, which tend to hop rather than fly, the responsible authorities in many US states have launched an unusual appeal to the population: Please step on them!
"Kill her!
Kick 'em, beat 'em to death... just get rid of 'em,” says the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, for example.
The administration of Central Park in New York asks visitors to step on the animals - and countless people do so.
The park and many sidewalks in the metropolis are full of crushed cicadas in some places.
The Spotted Lantern Bearer Cicada is a topic of conversation in the USA.
© Andy Lavalley/dpa
For some people, killing Lanternhopper Planthoppers has become something of a hobby, and they proudly report their successes.
There is even an app called "Squishr" in which you can compete with other players.
Other people generally do not want to kill animals, even if they are potentially harmful insects.
New York Magazine
calls it the "Dilemma of the Spotted Lantern Bearer Cicada":
"Tread or not tread?"
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"Buying time": Long-term solutions against the insect plague are not yet available
Scientists are aware that trampling on the insects alone will not solve the problem.
Only the lack of other options makes it difficult to find other solutions.
"If we don't stop it, it will spread," Pennsylvania State University researcher Julie Urban told CNN.
“Long-term research-based solutions are on the way.
But we need help buying time.”
Young animals hatch in winter: is the insect plague spreading further?
With the onset of frost, the insects will gradually disappear from the cityscape of New York and the affected states in the coming weeks, at least for the time being.
However, anyone who thinks that the issue will solve itself is wrong.
The cicadas have already laid their eggs - and they can survive the winter.
Conversely, young animals could hatch from them in the spring.
Then experts fear, above all, a further spread towards the west of the USA - for example in the wine-growing regions of California.
It is not the first time that the USA has to endure a cicada plague.
In 2021 there was a real scary plague.
Cicadas of the group "Brood X" hatched - for the first time in 17 years.
(mbr with dpa)