Impending plague with the US Open
Tennis stars should kill certain types of insect
Updated on 22.08.2025 – 1:15 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Not only because of the heat, the US Open threatens to become uncomfortable for professionals and fans. Voracious insects spread in New York. An expert surprises with an unusual demand.
The individual competitions at the US Open in New York start on Sunday. Shortly before the start of the last Tennis Grand Slam of the year, an uninvited guest is increasingly worried to the organizers: the spotted lantern fly, also called dotted lantern carrier culinary cicade. The type of insect, which is currently causing a sensation in New York, could also affect the major event at the gates of Manhattan.
As British media report, the organizers expect an increased appearance of the animals during the tournament. The reason for this is the mating season of the insects, which usually begins at the end of August – exactly when the first matches take place in Flushing Meadows.
The spotted lantern fly has so far been sighted in 29 of the 62 districts of the state of New York. The animals are considered particularly voracious and multiply rapidly. According to experts, you can eat whole fruit and vegetable plantations. The state Ministry of Agriculture is already warning of significant effects on the ecosystem. The problem has existed for several years.
The tournament site in Flushing Meadows is located in the fourth largest public park of New York – an ideal environment for the pests. The worry is correspondingly great that the insects will also become tennis professionals in the next two weeks.
That is why Brian Eshenaur, an expert in invasive species at Cornell University, asked in conversation with the English tabloid “Sun” to act determined in the event of sights by the animals: “If someone sees an insect, we ask him to take a photo of it first and then trample on it.”
The insects – called “Spotted Lanternfly” in English – were already a topic this summer. Because of their pronounced mating behavior, they even refer to the media as “sex obsessed”. A massive spread of animals could not only affect nature, but also the atmosphere at the US Open.