Young people are taking up arms (or more accurately, shoes) against the spotted lanternfly in what has become one of the stranger rallying points for Extremely Online youth in 2022. Social media users have filmed their own earnest PSAs and shitposted irreverent memes about the bug online this summer, and this messaging seems to have struck a chord with young communities: The hashtag “lanternfly” has been viewed 9.3 million times on TikTok.

“There’s a new insect in Central Park, but we’re not fans of its work” begins another call to action posted by the official account of the Central Park Conservancy. Department of Agriculture recommends crushing nymphs and adult bugs, and scraping egg masses into plastic bags and killing them with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol. The spotted lanternfly has become a major threat to the national economy, prompting official calls for people to do their part by checking their clothing, reporting infestations, and destroying the insects. Lanternflies are poor fliers but resourceful hitchhikers, and they have stowed away between states on shipments and aboard vehicles. Part of the problem is that the bug isn’t a picky eater: It can survive on over 100 different host plants found in backyards, parks, and agricultural fields, where it excretes honeydew that can damage the forest floor and apparently tastes like dried fruit and condensed milk. Spotted lanternflies were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and pose a serious threat to vineyards. The bug in question is the spotted lanternfly, a planthopper insect that is considered an invasive species in America and has been making headlines for the last year.

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