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It then excretes a sticky, sugary waste called honeydew that attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants, posing a danger to crops and native trees.

Where the bugs are thick, lanternfly honeydew can kill the forest’s understory by blanketing it in stickiness, which encourages the growth of sooty mold.

Indirectly, sooty mold can damage crops and reduce farmer’s yields, too.

If that weren’t enough, the honeydew leads to the growth of sooty mold, a black fungal infection that spreads across the tree’s trunk, branches and leaves, where it can impair photosynthesis.

“And so if you use a soapy water and a scrub brush, you can get rid of the sooty mold and some of the scale.”