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“Squash it, smash it … just get rid of it.”

Do you know what the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was talking about when it posed this directive? If you guessed spotted lanternflies, you'd be correct. 

With clear instructions to kill all of these invasive insects, Melanie Linn Gutowski was surprised when she received a package in the mail last September containing equipment for collecting live, unsquashed spotted lanternflies and preserving them in alcohol.

Recounting her experience with the program, Gutowski digs in to the Spotted Lanternfly Invasion Archive, a citizen science project then in its first year of participation by the general public.

Also, a heat wave has washed over the city and is expected to last throughout the week. Our reporters are continuing to follow the heat wave and its impacts on county residents this week. If you have a story you’d like to share or a question you’d like answered, please contact [email protected].

Our top story

Citizen scientists lead the charge in Western Pennsylvania's spotted lanternfly fight

Ordinary citizens can contribute to scientific research and efforts to control the spread of the spotted lanternfly.
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NOT TO MISS

Pittsburgh preps for dangerous heat wave

Pittsburgh increased spending since COVID, while revenue issues brewed
Pittsburgh Works Together is an alliance of business and organized labor that provides research and information on key issues for building an economy that works for all. Access these free resources at pghworks.com. 

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