‘Kill it, smash it’: spotted lanternflies due to return this spring with a vengeance

Experts ask the public to be on the lookout for the invasive species and kill them and their brood to protect US plant life

Experts are urging the US public to start keeping an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species harmless, if irritating, to humans, but known to wreak havoc on plant life and agriculture.

Experts believe that spotted lanternflies entered the US in a shipping crate. Native to China, they were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have since spread to at least 14 states.