Should we really kill all the lanternflies?
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What is the spotted lanternfly and why is it a problem?
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How did the public respond to the lanternfly invasion?
That's O-D-O-O dot com.
Okay, I have returned today to a scene from my past. This is where I was standing last summer when I saw a bug skittering up this tree trunk. It was a very distinctive bug. It has a polka dotty sort of wing with red underneath. This unmistakably was a spotted lanternfly. The spotted lanternfly may be pretty small, but it has the potential to cause big problems.
The invasive species showing up around the tri-state area this summer. These gray and black dotted bugs that are said to be a destructive pest that feeds on more than 70 different plants that are critical to the state's agriculture.
So I knew what this thing was. I had seen these many times before. They are all over Brooklyn. They took off around 2020, 2021. And so I knew what I was supposed to do in this situation.
Authorities say if you see one, you're asked to kill it.
You heard right. Kill the bugs. So I ran after it. I ran up to this tree, and I remember I tried to stomp it, like, on the tree, which is hard to do. So it got away from me, and I was going after it again. And then this is what I remember most. This woman yelled at me from down the street, like, And I don't remember exactly what she said, but the spirit was like, yeah, get it. Get the lanternfly. And this is not the first time I've had that kind of interaction. Like, this has definitely been the vibe. Welcome to New York, guys, where citizens have turned merciless mercenaries to protect nature. Your friend Lanthropog, and ask him about it. Ask him what happens when you f*** with New Jersey. Huh? No, he ain't here?
I wonder where he went. Maybe under my f***ing shoe. Like people really, really got on board with just the mass murder of bugs. And I, in that moment, was actually feeling really ambivalent. Because like on the one hand, it did feel good to be a part of this big civic project with my neighbor. And also it is satisfying to kill one of these bugs. Like it feels like you're almost scoring a point in a game, right? But I also kind of wanted to say to her, like, isn't it weird that we're all just happily participating in this big project that is about killing living creatures and we're like giving each other high fives over that? Something about it just feels also really bad.
What ethical dilemmas arise from killing invasive species?
And I did not say any of that. I was kind of just like, oh, it was a lanternfly. But now lanternfly season is coming again. There's a chance the lanternflies are above me in this tree right now, like getting ready to hatch. And I'm once again going to be faced with essentially a moral question of a kind that comes up in conservation all the time, where we're forced to choose between different types of beings and their lives. So the question is, should I personally be killing these invasive lanternflies? And also just what is the right way for any of us to think through that kind of decision?
One of the first people to learn that the lanternfly had arrived in the United States was a scientist named Julie Urban. An old acquaintance of hers unexpectedly left her a message. You know, Julie, this is Leo. Call me back. I'm like, they found it.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the spotted lanternfly and why is it a problem?
0:01–1:09
2
How did the public respond to the lanternfly invasion?
1:09–3:48
3
What ethical dilemmas arise from killing invasive species?
3:48–6:14
4
How do experts recommend managing lanternfly populations?
6:14–10:01
5
What are the consequences of killing lanternflies?
10:01–13:03
6
How does community involvement impact pest management?
13:03–15:40
7
What moral frameworks can guide decisions about killing pests?
15:40–19:15
8
What personal decisions did the host make regarding lanternflies?
19:15–35:22