Stop Stomping, Start Scanning: County Shifts Lanternfly Strategy

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — For the past two summers, relentlessly stomping the spotted lanternfly replaced summer swim leagues as Montgomery County's top form of outdoor recreation. But not anymore. As the insect becomes firmly established across the county, officials say it's time to shift course.

Stop stomping, start scanning.

Montgomery County is urging residents to stop the stomp and instead check vehicles when traveling in and out of infested areas. Lanternflies do not spread primarily by flying. They spread by hitching rides on cars, trucks, and trains. That's why infestations usually appear along highways and commercial corridors before spreading into neighborhoods.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation says the population is expected to surge over the next three to five years. First detected locally in 2022, lanternflies are now widespread enough that killing individual bugs is not considered an effective control strategy.

“Squashing them will not really help,” said MCDOT arborist Ashley Dykes. That advice came out last August in the waning days of the worst infestation seen yet.

We are past the point where killing them on an individual basis makes a difference. MCDOT officials point to two actions that matter more: checking for hitchhikers and destroying egg masses.

Egg masses, laid from late summer into early winter, appear as gray, putty-like smears on flat surfaces. Each one contains dozens of eggs. Scraping and destroying them removes the next generation before it emerges. Egg removal is far more effective than chasing adults.

Lanternflies do not bite or sting, and they are not considered dangerous to people or pets. They can leave behind sticky residue on trees and surfaces, but most healthy plants recover.

The insects are here, and numbers will rise. Residents can help slow the spread, but can't deny the inevitable. Lanternflies are taking over. The good news is that like the Japanese beetle and stink bug infestations before them, this too shall pass. The infestation is expected to peak in a few years and then level off. In the meantime, stop the stomp and save the summer sandals.

No lanternflies were harmed in the creation of this AI image