Insects Waking Up Now In MI: Spotted Lanternflies, Stink Bugs, Ticks

MICHIGAN — With temperatures warming in Michigan, some insects are crawling out of their winter homes and ready to wreck havoc in Michigan.

While most of these six- or eight-legged creatures are beneficial, some are a nuisance pose a genuine threat to fruits and vegetables and need to be dealt with before they cause harm.

The spotted lanternfly and the brown marmorated stink bugs are two of these pests that are found in Michigan. In addition, a rainy spring forecast predicted in Michigan suggests an abundance of ticks, who can spread numerous diseases, such as Babesiosis.

Here are some bugs to know in Michigan and what to do about them:

The Bug To Squish In 2023

There’s no need to squish most bugs, but when it comes to the spotted lanternfly, stomp away. That’s if you don’t get them now, while they’re still in the egg stage.

These insects, whose presence has been confirmed in 14 states, including Michigan and reported in many others rival butterflies in beauty when they’re adults, but don’t get attached. They’re a menace, posing a serious threat to the nation’s grape, orchard and logging industries, according to the Agriculture Department.

The bottom line: During spring lawn cleanup, keep your eyes peeled for spotted lanternfly egg masses. Each female is believed to lay at least two egg masses, which can produce 50 or so insects.

By now, egg masses will have faded from glossy white to gray or brown, and they’re about an inch and a half long. If you find an egg mass, snap a photo and report it to your state’s agriculture department, scrape off the egg masses with a knife or old credit card, put them in a plastic zippered bag filled with alcohol or hand-sanitizer and dispose of the sealed bag in the garbage.

In a few weeks, spotted lanternfly nymphs will hatch. They’ll be adults by mid-summer, and that’s when to squish lanternflies, before they can deposit more eggs. “Harming our city's wildlife is prohibited, but in an effort to slow the spread of this troublesome species, we are putting out a one-time call: If you see a spotted lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest,” the New York City Parks Department said last August.

• Related: What You Can Do To Control Destructive Spotted Lanternflies

Become A Backyard Stink Bug Warrior

The brown marmorated stink bugs that snuck into your house last fall are preparing to leave and replenish their species. It’s tempting to let these jerks leave just as stealthily. (Stink bugs can rightly be called jerks because, once outside, they’re free to satisfy their voracious appetites by chewing through fruit groves and ornamental plants.)

Although the stink bug will not cause any structural damage to your home, they are a severe agriculture nuisance for farmers in Michigan.

When you see them in your house at this time of year, be careful. Be very careful. Vacuum them up or sweep them right out the door if you have to, but do so as surreptitiously as possible because, when frightened, stink bugs emit a smell that will frighten you.

If you do vacuum stink bugs, be sure to replace the bag immediately. If you have a bagless model, rinse the dust canister with vinegar.

The bottom line: Become a backyard stink bug warrior. Capturing them in commercially available traps is one option, but there also are several environmentally sound ways to tell them to bug out.

The Farmers’ Almanac points out that garlic repels stink bugs. They also don’t like mint — crush some dried mint around where you see them congregate; but mint is invasive, so be careful about where you plant it. Sunflowers and marigolds attract beneficial insects that enjoy a buffet of stink bug eggs and larva. Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth under and on leaves of all fruits and vegetables resting on the ground. Or just make an anti-stink-bug potion with mild, soapy water made from dish dishwashing liquid, and spray it directly on the bugs.

Out For Blood

With a rainy spring season predicted in Michigan, expect an abundance of these bloodthirsty insects and, subsequently, tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a few others.

• Related: Tick-Borne Babesiosis Is Found Almost Everywhere | As ER Visits For Bites Spike, Tick-Borne Illnesses To Watch

Tick bites requiring ER visits are most common in the Northeast, accounting for 48 of every 100,000 emergency department visits in April, up from 19 of every 100,000 visits in March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Health officials warned Babesiosis, a dangerous and in rare cases deadly tick-borne disease, that mostly circulates in the Northeast and Midwest is increasing in prevalence and may be a risk in Michigan.

Let It Bee

On the friendlier side of the insect world, queen bees will be looking for a quick meal in your flowers. They’re important pollinators. In fact, bees pollinate 75 percent of the food consumed by humans worldwide, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Honeybees are in trouble. Their populations are declining around the world, and it’s up to us to do something about it. When you’re planting your garden or landscaping this year, lean into plants that encourage bees.

Here’s a fun fact: Bees see color and love yellow, purple, blue and white flowers, making echinacea, snapdragon, hostas and wildflowers excellent garden choices, according to Country Living, which has a list of 20 flowering plants bees love.

At least 28 states have enacted laws to save pollinators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws generally fall into five categories: research, pesticides, habitat protection, beekeeping and public awareness.

Michigan lawmakers have not addressed the issue, but officials did develop a pollinator protection plan, the Communication Strategies for Reducing Pesticide Risk for Managed Pollinators in Michigan.

The plan is designed to improve and protect the health of pollinators in Michigan by mitigating the risk of pesticide exposure, while recognizing that pesticides are important tools for crop, property, and human health protection.