If you are a fan of winter hiking, then environmental experts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are looking for your help.

It seems now is the time to eliminate the invasive spotted lantern flies before they hatch and you can have a hand in it.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shared several photos of SLF egg masses they found on trees in Smithfield recently and say masses like these could be anywhere. Trees, rocks, even outdoor furniture and fences could be growing new lantern flies as you read and they need to be stopped.

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So they are asking those that find them to destroy them.

How To Destroy Spotted Lantern Fly Eggs

Getting rid of these invasive insect eggs is not as simple as smashing them. According to experts, the entire fresh egg mass must be scraped from the object it's growing on with a paint scraper, credit card or another hard flat scraping implement.

You then take the entire egg mass and bottle it with isopropyl alcohol to destroy the eggs. You can learn more specific methods here.

Several environmental agencies across the country are working to eliminate egg masses now, to help limit the need for widespread pesticide spraying in the future.

Spotted lantern flies are extremely invasive and become a threat to various plants, trees and farm crops. Once hatched pesticides become the most effective way to remove them from local vegetation, so taking out egg masses now can reduce the need for chemicals in the future.

You may notice SLF egg masses on your next hike or even in your own backyard. RIDEM shared several pictures to help you recognize the masses when you see them, so you can have a part in taking them out.

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