THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED & PHOTO CREDITS ANDREA DIALECT
I remember working at MetLife Stadium during one of the worst infestations. When those bugs first started showing up in the States, my friend and I were working as security guards. You’d think we’d be brave, but no – we were terrified of those lanternflies. Even though we wore the uniforms – when it was time to go, we were clutching each other the whole time, sprinting to our cars. And truth be told, I’m still scared of them to this day. – Lisette
MICROSCOPIC: Don’t Bug Me
When this all first started years ago, we were on the lookout. Everybody was stomping and talking about it. I’d see one here or there, did my share of pluckin’ and stompin’, but honestly, I’d forgotten the love – hate relationship between us and them. Didn’t even realize they still had such a large impact. Honestly, I think that we all forgot what kind of trouble them little boogers really cause.
Fast-forward. One afternoon, I’m doing my bus run. I open the side door, and my aide goes to step on. Out of nowhere – one of those “Chinese bugs,” as she calls it, barges in and sits right in her path. And she loses it – screaming, arms flailing, looking like she’s in a fight with a lot of people. I reach over, flick it out with my finger like it’s nothing. She screams again, arms swinging harder as she runs for cover. At this point I’m laughing, because the whole thing is hilarious. Straight comedy. Took some coaxing, but eventually she got back on and we were on our way. That was the last of that bug – so I thought.
Near the end of the route, I spot another one. But this one? Massive, slap-dab stuck on the side of the bus idling beside me. Like somebody hit “super-size” on it. Now, logically, the graphic guy understood scale, but what caught my attention wasn’t just the size of that bug – it was the big ol’ sneaker hovering above it. It was about to come down hard. I was kinda taken aback by New Jersey’s blunt campaign.
They call it “Stomp It Out!” (NJ.gov.) It’s not just cute – it’s a full-blown public awareness push. NJ’s Dept. of Agriculture is even offering grants to municipalities to fight the lanternfly.
I found ads, articles, social media memes about stomping bugs, watching for egg masses (which look like grayish or muddy patches on trees or smooth surfaces) and reporting sightings. Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Millburn Township.
Initially, I was shocked by NJ’s approach. Mother Nature’s offspring getting stomped out – literally. Maybe they figured buses rolling through Hoodscapes needed a hood campaign. Because nothing says “we mean business” like a sneaker about to crush it plastered on the side of a city bus.
The Facts (Google that):
- Official name: spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula).
- Native to Asia – China, India, Vietnam. First landed in Pennsylvania in 2014. By 2018, Jersey had them.
- They don’t bite, don’t sting – but they wreak havoc on over 70 plants, especially grapevines, maples, walnuts, and that invasive Tree of Heaven.
- They suck the sap, weaken the plants, and leave behind sticky honeydew that leaves mold on everything.
- NJ Dept. of Agriculture says: stomp, scrape, report. Ads, grants, and all.
During my research, I came across all kinds of ads supporting the stomp campaign. But not the foot in motion – the one that really caught me. So while you’re walking or riding around the hoodscape, highways, or byways – be on the lookout.
Question is: how do you feel about NJ being so blunt about our participation? Bold? Or in bad taste? Either way, it made me take a second look at those little boogers. After reading all the havoc they wreak, I felt my own foot lifting.
This is exactly why I thought the topic fit my Microscopic series. Because it’s always those little things causing the most havoc. As our consumption of goods increases, things get shipped in – and tucked away in those crates obviously are gifts we never asked for. They slipped right through customs like, “Surprise, America.” Just careless trade, campaign, or warfare? Maybe.
So are you in, or are you out? Will you be rocking your favorite kicks as you take it down, or sitting this one out? While you walk or ride through neighborhoods – or highways or byways – watch out for those ads. How do you feel about NJ being so direct? Is it bold? Or over the top?
Me – I couldn’t help myself. What I’ll say is: their campaign forced me to look twice at those little boogers. Reading about the havoc they wreaked made me want to stomp. Had to cue up Kirk Franklin’s Stomp. Background noise? Okay. But also perfect marching orders. To stomp, or not to stomp? That’s the question.
Visit Localtalkweekly.com to read drafts in its entirety and check out the archives getting even more amazing content from the Entertainment section. While you’re at it, check out my fine artistry photography archives in support of my subjects that, while Lending Their Image To Change, become my muse and clay as supporting my experimental projects as I mold them into Fine Artistry Also join me and the collective for my Facebook live as I develop daily “PORTAL” sessions. Follow my msdialect Instagram, and let’s grow out loud together! Like, follow, and share.
DID YOU KNOW….
There isn’t an exact number for how many spotted lanternflies are in the US, but they are in 19 states and the District of Columbia as of August 2025, with populations confirmed in several regions of the Northeast and spreading west. Since their first detection in Pennsylvania in 2014, they have spread rapidly due to human transport, posing a significant threat to agricultural and economic interests, including vineyards and fruit crops.
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