Your #1 Job This Spring and Summer in Illinois is to Kill This Insect

The insect experts say you should kill on sight if you see it in Illinois returns with a vengeance, this spring. They cause big problems, be on the lookout.

Kill It, Smash It

That is a headline that needs to be headed. And when you find out what this pest can do, you won't have any issue sending it straight to hell.

This is not the first time we've been warned about this invasive species, We were told to KILL IT IMMEDIATELY.

The message hasn't changed!

Plant life will never be the same if we keep allowing this species' population to grow. We didn't do enough last year and now the experts are warning that this spring we will see far more than ever before.

Illinois' Most Unwanted Insect

For people who are reluctant to kill bugs and insects, and you might be when you see how colorful this insect is, you need to know what they're capable of. Plus, you're going to read something down the page a little that may make you less committed to the task you must perform.

MORE: When The Experts Say Billions of Cicadas Will Emerge in Illinois

The Spotted Lanternfly

These flies don't fly very long distances before landing on your favorite tree, your deck, the kids' playground set, or your gazebo and do their form of 'killing'.

They lay their egg masses on over 70 different types of plants; most at-risk include apple, apricot, peach, maple, oak, walnut, and cherry trees. If you're a wine drinker, your motivation to kill the spotted lanternfly is because they like to destroy grapevines.

How Did The Spotted Lanternfly Get to the U.S.

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This insect is not native to America, and how experts believe they got here, is why you should be diligent in checking all of your outdoor surfaces this spring. According to a recent story from The Guardian,

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.

The only positive about this insect is that it isn't harmful to humans. Regardless of this fact, kill the spotted lanternfly on sight.

Smash it.

Squash it.

Just get rid of it.

MORE: Illinois is Home To the 2nd Loneliest City in US

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One more thing. If you spot an egg mass, kill the eggs too. Just scrape them with a credit card or something else that has a hard edge. You'll need to press hard enough on the egg mass to them pop to know you completed the task.

Spotted Lanternfly regulators... Mount up!

While they haven't seemed to arrive in Illinois YET, Illinois's environment is inviting to the spotted lanternfly, so it's only a matter of time.