This past week, Newark has been invaded by lantern flies. Although these pests look fairly harmless, they can easily destroy crops and cause huge problems for the local environment. As a result, they annually cost the US economy millions every year. With this in mind, many locals have been doing their best efforts to kill them to protect the local environment and economy.

However, as seen with the featured image, some people have caused more harm than good with their efforts to protect Newark. Specifically, some people have been putting sticky tape on trees on Bruen Street. While this may trap and exterminate lantern flies, it can also cause problems for the wildlife in the area. In short, the sticky residue can also trap and kill birds who land on the tape.

Similarly, it’s not just birds who can suffer from sticky tape. Other critters and harmless bugs can also fall foul to these traps which aren’t good. Instead, locals have been advised to spray vinegar on lantern flies if they want to help preserve the environment. This news was shared on an Instagram story by Newark News & Stories. Apparently, it wasn’t just a single tree that had sticky tape used on it either and many trees in the area had also been taped up.

If you’re out and you see these sticky traps, then don’t hesitate to remove them immediately, as you could just be saving the lives of various innocent animals and bugs in the process.