Surge in sex-crazed, crop-destroying spotted lanternflies expected this year after population plunge
They bugged off — and now they're back in full force!
A huge uptick in sex-crazed, crop-destroying spotted lanternflies is expected to swarm the Big Apple after a population plunge last year — and they're already hatching in droves, experts told The Post Wednesday.
An egg count taken this past winter at a vineyard in Berks County, Pennsylvania — considered 'ground zero' for the invasive pest — showed roughly 1,700 egg masses per row compared to nearly none the previous year, said Kelli Hoover, professor of entomology at Penn State.
Advertisement
A rise in sex-crazed, crop-destroying spotted lanternflies is expected to swarm New York City.
Christopher Sadowski
'It was almost nothing and then — boom — now they're back in big numbers,' Hoover said. 'It's a huge increase.'
The red-and-tan-winged insects — which recklessly munch through everything from vegetable gardens to fruit trees — began hatching last week in areas in and around New York City, experts said.
The tiny invaders made their buzz-worthy arrival two weeks earlier than usual, likely due to heat from a warm spring trapped by buildings in the urban jungle, said Jacob Leeser, of Cornell University's New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.
Advertisement
While the spotted lanternfly population appeared to drop in the city after spikes in 2022 and 2023, their apparent disappearance could be a sign they'll be back in full force this year.
The insects may have 'boom and bust cycles' because they gobble up their main food source — a leafy green plant known as the Tree of Heaven — one year, leaving them with nothing to eat the next.
'It's like everybody getting to the salad at the same time,' Leeser said. 'As the availability of food starts to fall, the population does too.'
Advertisement
Last winter's egg population study, led by Penn State University researcher Brian Walsh, is the biggest reason New Yorkers might want to brace for another invasion this year, Hoover said.
Jacob Leeser, of Cornell University's New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, said the insects arrived two weeks earlier than usual due to the rise in heat from a warmer spring climate.
Christopher Sadowski
'It may be a boom cycle but it's really hard to predict,' she said.
The insects — which start off as black and white nymphs that jump — generally hatch in late May, and people tend to notice them while they are frantically mating in August, Leeser said.
Advertisement
New Yorkers have in past years waged a war to squish away the lusty red, black and white lanternflies — but they may be best extinguished with a simple household appliance, he said.
To kill them, Leeser recommended New Yorkers drag their vacuum cleaners outside to patios, balconies or yards to suck up the moth-sized bugs.
But be sure to wait 48 hours before emptying the vacuum bag, to ensure they don't reemerge, he warned.
Research also shows the bugs can't live inside apartments for more than 50 hours because they can't survive on house plants, which is good news to most New Yorkers, he added.
Meanwhile, Trees of Heaven must be sprayed with herbicide months before they can be chopped, making the insects' meal of choice hard to remove, experts said.
Lanternflies, which grow to roughly an inch long, first arrived in the Big Apple 2020 from southeast Asia.
Advertisement
The bugs have recently spread like wildfire — to a total 18 states — and entomologists are trying like crazy to stop them from getting to lucrative wine country in California, Hoover said.
'They're hopping on train, planes, ships and other transportation,' she said.
'These guys are brave hitch-hikers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Massive Asteroid Could Hit the Moon, Here's How It Would Impact Earth
There's the good (Earth is no longer at risk of a direct hit from an asteroid dubbed 2024 YR4); the bad (shrapnel could cause extensive damage to orbiting satellites); and the ugly (odds of the asteroid hitting the moon have now increased). A Cornel University study submitted to the American Astronomy Society Journals concludes that, while Earth is no longer in danger of a direct asteroid hit, odds of the asteroid hitting the moon have increased -- from 3.8 percent to 4.3 percent. If those odds play out, NewScientist reports that a direct impact could "shower Earth with a cloud of satellite-destroying shrapnel." The study concluded that, if the asteroid hits the moon, the orbiting satellites could suffer decades worth of damage in a matter of just a few days. Dr. Paul Wiegert, a professor of astronomy at the University of Western Ontario who spearheaded the study, told NewScientist that the study concluded the asteroid could hit the moon at a whopping 29,000 miles per hour. The impact would then create a blast crater just over a half-mile wide, which would make it the largest lunar impact in the last 5,000 years. YR4, an asteroid that's the size of a building, was first discovered in December 2024. Astronomers initially predicted the asteroid would hit Earth on Dec. 23, 2032, and it would have enough power decimate an entire city. But astronomers now say that that science is telling them the asteroid will most likely miss Earth. But our planet is not exactly out of the woods. Astronomers say that, if the asteroid hits the moon, the planet's gravity would siphon upwards of 10 percent of the debris back down to Earth. 'Intuitively, the Earth is actually quite a small target when seen from the moon, and so your intuition is that not very much material would actually hit the Earth," the astronomy professor Wiegert told NewScientist, "but it turns out that the Earth's gravity can focus that material under certain conditions." Perhaps a problem to worry about seven years from now. Massive Asteroid Could Hit the Moon, Here's How It Would Impact Earth first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 20, 2025
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Breakthrough cure for baldness: 100% of male mice regrew fur with new treatment
It's the bald truth. Researchers at San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid have developed a cure for androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as pattern hair loss. An estimated 80 million Americans — 50 million men and 30 million women — experience some form of alopecia, although it affects women differently than men. Advertisement Researchers at San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid have developed a cure for androgenetic alopecia — commonly known as pattern hair loss. Phimchanok – Men usually go through a receding hairline and bald spots, whereas women get thinner at the part line but rarely go fully bald. In the study — published in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy — researchers used a combo of fat‑tissue-derived stem cells and the energy molecule ATP to reverse hair loss in mice, with shocking results. Advertisement All of the male mice grew back their coats. Half had full regrowth, while the other half had intensive regrowth. Among females, a whopping 90% saw intense or complete hair revival. Eduardo López Bran, head of the Dermatology Department at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, explained that their special method 'stimulates hair regeneration by combining the regenerative capacity of the former with the energy provided by the latter. This synergy favors the recovery of the hair follicle, promoting hair growth.' While the findings will need to be replicated in human trials, the results pave a promising way forward in the fight against hair loss. Advertisement All of the male mice grew back their coats. Among females, a whopping 90% saw intense or complete hair revival. Javier – 'In the future, we will be able to offer new solutions that allow us to meet patients' expectations, allowing them access to new treatments that prioritize their well-being,' Eduardo López Bran said. It's an exciting development in an area where there's plenty of room for growth. Advertisement While hair transplant surgery is on the rise, many people don't realize that it actually often takes several procedures to achieve the desired result. 'An alarming trend is patients who now go to perform a hair transplant by a physician who does not consult the patient about his or her hair loss nor is he actively involved in the surgery,' Texas facial plastic surgeon and hair restoration expert Dr. Samuel Lam previously told The Post. He noted that this troubling practice is 'most rampant' in Turkey — where hair transplant surgery has exploded due to its relative affordability — but it is 'also extremely prevalent in the US, unfortunately.' Meanwhile, some men have been vocal about how post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) — a condition in which someone experiences severe side effects after they stop using finasteride — has completely upended their lives. One woman even recently chronicled how PFS destroyed her husband's sex drive — and ended their marriage. Researchers are racing to find new, safer and more affordable hair loss treatments, inventing non-hormonal pills and gummies and repurposing older drugs to find a sustainable solution.
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
New longevity drug for dogs could extend your pet's life — and pave the way for humans to live longer too
Sit, stay… live longer? Research shows that owning a dog can help humans live longer, healthier lives. Now, a US biotech company wants to return the favor with anti-aging drugs designed to extend the lifespan of your canine companion. 'The longevity space is crowded right now, and for good reason,' Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, told The Post. 'We all want to figure out how to get more happy, healthy years for our loved ones —especially the furry ones.' 6 Celine Halioua is leading the push to develop drugs that extend the lives of dogs. X/@loyalfordogs Before launching Loyal in 2019, Halioua worked on treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in humans — conditions that, much like aging in dogs, have no true preventive medicine. 'This combination of experience sparked my mission to develop the first drug approved for healthy lifespan extension,' she said. Good boys, great science Loyal has three longevity drugs in the pipeline, including two that specifically target bigger breeds, which typically have much shorter lifespans. While small dogs like Chihuahuas can live for 18 years or longer, giant breeds such as Great Danes would be lucky to make it to ten. That's where LOY-001 and LOY-003 come in. These drugs target dogs age seven and older that weigh at least 40 pounds. 6 Loyal's drugs aim to increase and quality of life for senior dogs. X/Celine Halioua They work by reducing levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that fuels cell growth. Scientists believe that high levels of IGF-1 shorten the lifespan of large dogs, which can have up to 28 times more of the hormone than smaller breeds. One version, LOY-001, is an injectable given a few times a year at the vet. The other, LOY-003, is a daily chewable pill. Both drugs are currently in pilot studies, and Loyal is eyeing conditional FDA approval by 2027. Loyal's third longevity drug, LOY-002, is even further along in development. The treatment targets senior dogs age 10 and up that weigh at least 14 pounds. It's currently being tested in a large-scale clinical trial involving more than 1,200 dogs across 70 clinics, making it one of the biggest studies in veterinary history, according to Halioua. 6 Small dogs tend to have a longer lifespan than larger breeds. X/Celine Halioua The drug works by targeting metabolism — the complex system of chemical reactions that powers essential functions like breaking down food, producing energy and repairing cells. As metabolism slows with age, it can lead to insulin resistance and trigger a range of health issues in both humans and dogs, including cognitive decline, osteoarthritis and cancer. 'Improving metabolic health is one of the most well-validated pathways for extending both lifespan and healthspan,' Halioua said. 'Research [shows] it can improve health and reduce the risk of age-related diseases across species — from mice to humans,' she added. So far, things are looking paws-itive. A pilot study of 48 dogs showed no adverse effects after three months of LOY‑002. 6 Both LOY-002 and LOY-003 are administered via a daily pill. X/Celine Halioua Loyal previously told The Guardian it's hoping the drug could add at least one extra year to a dog's life — and they'll be healthier during that time, too. Once it's approved, Halioua hopes LOY‑002 will become a common preventive tool, like flea and tick medication. 'We expect all dogs to benefit from its ability to protect against, and even reverse, some of the harmful effects of metabolic dysfunction,' she said. Loyal anticipates that the drug will receive conditional approval by the FDA in 2026. 6 Loyal is aiming to enroll 1,300 dogs in it's LOY-002 study. X/Celine Halioua But the dogs aren't the only ones who could benefit. 'We're on track to develop the first-ever FDA-approved drug for longevity — for any species,' Halioua said. 'Dogs share our environments and develop remarkably similar age-related diseases at similar stages of life, making them valuable models for human health and scientific research,' she added. Dogs make us healthier, too Halioua's lifelong love of animals runs deep. 'I've always been surrounded by animals — growing up, my family had 15 pets and rehabilitated wild animals,' she said. 'My Rottweiler, Della, is always by my side and is a major influence on the work I do.' It turns out dogs don't just bring love — they could bring health benefits as well. Studies show that dogs can ease loneliness, stress and anxiety. One even found that just 10 minutes of petting a pooch can significantly reduce levels of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone. 6 Dogs are known for their unconditional love and companionship. yurakrasil – Even locking eyes with your dog gives your brain a boost. A 2009 Japanese study found that staring into their eyes raises oxytocin — the 'love hormone' linked to bonding and happiness. Dogs might even help you live longer. A sweeping review of research from 1950 to 2019 found that dog owners consistently have a lower risk of death compared to those without pets. It's no accident. Research shows that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease. Plus, they get more exercise, which builds muscle, strengthen bones and joints and keeps weight in check. That's no coincidence. Dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and less risk of heart disease. Plus, they're more active — walking their dogs regularly strengthens muscles, bones and joints, and helps keep weight in check. Some research even links dog ownership to bigger brains and sharper thinking, with faster processing speed and better memory. And here's the kicker: a major study found owning a dog lowers dementia risk — a benefit not shared by cat owners.
