A neighbor's bizarre behavior with a notorious invasive pest had a resident perplexed about both the man's motivations and their potential next steps.
The Redditor went to the r/pittsburgh subreddit for some advice on how to handle the situation that they described in a post. The pest in question was spotted lanternflies, which the neighbor wasn't squishing as directed by experts. Rather, they observed the neighbor scraping the lanternflies from the tree and putting them into nets.
"At first, I thought maybe he was collecting them to take somewhere for some sort of study, but the nets never seem to be moved," they revealed. "Then more nets were added."
That led them to hypothesize the neighbor was "breeding" the species, but they couldn't rule out that they were keeping them as pets, studying them, eating them, or engaging in some conspiracy theory.
Either way, they weren't sure what to do. They called the neighbor "very odd and easily agitated," and noted they were the only neighbor with a sightline.
The first thing to note is that unwanted infestations should be addressed promptly, especially when they affect local trees and plants. The spotted lanternfly has proven to be a menace to ecosystems around the U.S.
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The invasive species harms trees and fruit crops, causing millions in agricultural losses wherever it spreads. It also releases a sticky fluid that attracts mold, which threatens ants and bees. After first being reported in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014, efforts continue to rise to take on the pesky invader.
So, the OP's motivations are good in seeking to stop the neighbor's odd and damaging behavior. The last thing anyone should be doing is cultivating a pest that has no business being in Pennsylvania.
Redditors were eager to help the OP in finding some way to put an end to their neighbor's behavior.
"My buddy works in SLF [spotted lanternfly] management," a user responded. "It is apparently a ticketable offense."
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$200 or more 💰 "Call them and 311 and animal control and pest control and dept of health and dept of environmental protection and any other entity that might have jurisdiction," a commenter added.
One Redditor was skeptical about spotted lanternfly breeding, but issued a PSA about a troublesome tree.
"The worst thing a neighbor can do in this regard is let tree of heaven grow over in their yard, as these serve as food and egg surfaces," they shared.
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