Christmas Trees In NJ Could Be Infested With Spotted Lanternflies

Last year, the real tree that my wife and I brought home ended up being full of spiders. It is NOT FUN having to vacuum spiderwebs and tiny little spiders from the star atop your tree, and my wife has decided that for this year, and the foreseeable future, we're going with a fake tree. I know that there are likely spiders in our house already, you're never more than ten feet from a spider or whatever the urban legend is, but it will help my wife rest easier knowing we didnt bring a nest into our home via a tree.

While it's not a spider invasion, a different type of bug has been seen infesting Christmas trees: the spotted lanternfly.

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Aw, that little fella actually looks kinda festive! A nice bright red lends itself to the holiday season, right? Unfortunately, the spotted lanternfly is an invasive species, and not supposed to be in New Jersey.

Lanternflies lay their eggs on the trunk of trees, and normally the eggs hatch when the weather turns warm. Bringing them into the warmth of your house, though, speeds up the process, which could lead to 30-50 eggs hatching, which is making my skin crawl.

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State officials ask that you kill bugs immediately if you see one, and actually have a list of items you should always inspect if you live in a "quarantine zone".

I know there's a risk involved anytime you bring nature inside, but there's a difference between bringing in some bugs or spiders that are already common to this area versus an invasive species.

If your tree erupts in a flurry of lanternflies, get swatting, and help keep this pest from spreading.