Spotted Laternflies are Supposed to be Coming back to PA in April

Cicadas, Lanternflies and Bees, oh my! The days are starting to warm up which means it’s officially bug season and experts estimate that this year, will be worse than years past.

After first being seen in Pennsylvania in 2014, the spotted lanternfly is expected to be seen again next month. According to NBC Philadelphia, the bugs like to feed off trees, but also crops like grapes and other fruits. Cicadas, on the other hand, will emerge in May, shed their skin, and mate for a few weeks. The crazy thing is, we will see the return of these cicadas for the first time since George W. Bush was in the white house. According to NBC Philadelphia, they've been undergrown all these years. While both lanternflies and cicadas will be in the same spots, experts say it is unlikely they will interact as the species will emerge at different times.

NBC Philadelphia explains that the noise of the cicadas might be bothersome, but these bugs are virtually harmless to humans and are definitely less destructive than lanternflies. Cicadas will simply lay eggs which in turn causes minimal damage to small branches or twigs. Meanwhile, lanternflies feed often and leave behind residue that, according to experts, attracts bees, promotes mold growth, and can disrupt photosynthesis which is dangerous to the whole ecosystem.

According to NBC Philadelphia, the residue is probably on outside surfaces like wood pallets, or dumpsters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a way to help is to scrape the dark bumpy mass into a container with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer to destroy the eggs. An entomologist at Drexel University said that lanternflies "will have an impact this year, and next year, and the year after” unless there is a way to control the population from growing.