Love them or hate them, bugs play an important role in the health of our natural habitats. As invasive species are popping up all over America, some insects are fighting back. One Redditor witnessed an intense brawl between yellow jackets and an invasive spotted lanternfly.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a Sanskrit proverb and the caption to this Reddit post. The video shows three yellow jackets attacking a spotted lanternfly. The enemy is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that has emerged in the eastern U.S.
While few people love yellow jackets, the Reddit community seems to take their side over the spotted lanternfly. Those vicious stingers have turned against America’s latest invasive species.
Spotted lanternflies were first seen in the United States in 2014. They’re originally from Asia, and since their accidental introduction to the U.S., they’ve been wreaking havoc up and down the eastern seaboard.
Spotted lanternflies, with their trademark red-and-black spotted wings, are destroying crops and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. There’s no easy solution to get rid of the pests, but social media’s favorite tactic is stomping on them (don’t worry, it’s approved by experts).
The post’s comment section is Team Yellow Jacket, saying “while yellow jackets are a*******, they’re still important to our ecosystem.” Others were happy to see the vicious yellow jacket sting redirected at such a destructive pest.
Jokes aside, one of the reasons invasives can be so disruptive is because they don’t have natural predators in their new habitats. In this case, yellow jackets, who are established in the United States, have adapted to start consuming spotted lanternflies.
One commenter praised Mother Nature’s balancing act: “Glad to see nature fighting an imbalance.”
The enemy of my enemy is my friend???
byu/Mtw156 inwhatisthisbug
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