The Next Plague
Birds Will Save Us
September 4, 2025
Stratford’s Hidden Universe
#stratfordhiddenuniverse #stratfordshiddenuniverse #stratfordecology #stratfordctecology
#spottedlanternfly #predator #bird #bat #plague
A discussion about the Black Plague/Black Death that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages led to a current analogy of the arrival of Spotted Lantern Flies in the United States. Understanding has come a long way about vectors and how creatures travel across the globe. The fleas that carried The Plague to Europe came bound on cats that came on ships from ports outside of Europe. The Spotted Lantern Flies hitched rides on airplanes, boats, vehicles, and imports. Unfortunately, the chemical tools humans use to kill the Flies may ultimately harm the same creatures that can eat them and help control their populations.
Spotted Lantern Flies should not be blamed for existing. Yet like the fleas that bit and killed humans, they may ultimately destroy local trees and ultimately every community’s source of cooling and oxygen. They will be North America’s version of the Black Plague/ Black Death if humans do not support local bird and bat populations, including allowing chickens and bat houses. Spotted Lantern Flies are an easy source of protein for birds and bats.
The contradiction about how to deal with them has already begun. The same pesticides and insecticides that humans use to combat the Spotted Lantern Flies are killing the birds that could be eating the Flies. From observations, the Flies like really warm areas, like concrete buildings, parking lots- areas where a lot of vegetation may not be prominent anyway- because these areas keep them warm. Yes, having people step on them helps, however, the best way to help would be to support bird populations and encourage the birds to survive and use the Flies as a source of food.
Calls to action:
Support your local bird population.
Stop using pesticides. Find other ways to safely destroy the Spotted Lantern Flies.
Support your local bat population. Get a bat house. Encourage your local municipality to install bat houses in public parks and areas.
Support your local ordinances for people to have chickens.
Support your local municipality’s conservation efforts, especially getting young trees planted now.
Encourage local businesses to support the previous calls to action. Bat and bird houses can be placed on buildings or out in parking lots as both species like the sun for warmth.
Photo by AARN GIRI on Unsplash
