When the spotted lanternfly was first found in Pennsylvania 10 years ago, the invasive insect became public enemy No. 1. But despite robust campaigns to squash them on sight, Science notes that they've spread to 17 more states in just a decade. So how does a bug that can't fly long distances spread so far and so quickly? By hitchhiking, the Royal Society Open Science found in a new study. "I noticed how easily they landed on cars and on buses. There was even one on our tour bus," says Johanna Elsensohn, lead researcher. "And I was like, 'Oh this is no good. I wonder how often this happens.'"
While close observers have noticed spotted lanternflies' ability to cling (Connecticut Department of Transportation issued a warning about their hitchhiking habits last year, per NBC Connecticut), this research is believed to be the first to take the bugs for an official test drive. They did so by pointing an industrial fan at a 2011 Ford Escape in a parking garage to simulate highway conditions. Next, they placed nearly 900 bugs in different developmental stages on common spots they're found on cars, like windshield wipers and the hood. Using their tarsal claws and ducking into an aerodynamic position, about 48% were able to withstand winds of 62mph on windshield wipers. Females were the best clingers, which could spell bad news for their spread, as they can carry around 300 eggs at a time. ('Super cool' mapping tracks down tiny invaders.)
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