Today in civic duty

As seen on Ninth Street and Avenue A — a squished spotted lanternfly. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!) 

The "invasive pests" recently made an NYC return... prompting (reluctant?) kill/squish orders from city officials ... and fun headlines, like! 

 • Sex-crazed lanternfly invasion ramps up in NYC as insects look for mates (The Post — naturally!) 

 • In the Lanternfly War, Some Take the Bug’s Side (The Times) 

• On the hunt with New York’s spotted lanternfly squishers: ‘I came to kill’ (The Guardian)  

Read less tabloid-y ways to squish and dispose of these sex-crazed invaders (just another weekend night!) at the Parks Department site.

Spotting a Spotted Lanternfly, kill! kill!

We've had several recent sightings of the (dreaded!) Spotted Lanternfly ... an EVG reader shared this photo from the other day on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street. 

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and media outlets sounded the alarm about these little *@(%*s last month. 

And as Goggla recently noted, "The Spotted Lanternfly is beautiful, but unfortunately, extremely destructive. It feeds on sap which destroys plants and trees." 

According to the Parks Department: "if you see a Spotted Lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest."

The Parks Department recommends these actions (after the kill):

• New Yorkers should also report any findings to NYC Parks by emailing Forest.Health@parks.nyc.gov. Please include photos, location of the infestation, and details of property damage.

• You can help prevent the spread of spotted lanternflies by refraining from moving firewood, outdoor furniture, and other outdoor items that may contain SLF egg masses. 

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation website has more info on how you can ID the Spotted Lanternfly.