蜜芽传媒

The US city of New York has been invaded by spotted lanternflies and the infestation is getting worse, with officials urging New Yorkers to keep killing them.

So far this year, the bugs - which are indigenous to China and Vietnam - have been documented riding the subway and even infiltrating apartments.

Newsday caught up with Julie Urban, an evolutionary biologist in the entomology department at Penn State University who's studied lanternflies for decades.

(Pic: Spotted lanternfly against the New York skyline; Credit: Getty Images)