“See it. Squish it. Report it.” For years, that slogan belonged to other eastern states and counties. But now, it’s starting to circulate in Michigan’s Washtenaw County, where some residents say they’ve seen what appear to be spotted lanternflies.
The spotted lanternfly, or Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper native to China and Southeast Asia. First detected in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014, the lanternfly was first spotted in Michigan in Oakland County in 2022. Since then, the insect has been officially documented in Lenawee, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne counties, forming a cluster just east and south of Washtenaw.
Lanternflies feed on more than 70 types of plants, from backyard maples to apple orchards, vineyards, hops and hardwood trees. They especially target the tree of heaven, but will pierce into almost anything, sucking sap and leaving behind a sugary residue called honeydew. That sticky coating can invite yellow jackets, flies and ants and eventually develop into black sooty mold, which kills crops and impacts harvesting…