The pernicious spotted lanternflies that have been playing havoc with New York City's foliage might be experiencing a slight decline, but don't let that fool you. Scientific American reports an anecdotal thinning of the invasive species this year, according to Brian Eshenaur, a plant pathologist at Cornell University. Despite the possible downtick, Jessica Ware, an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, cautions that these polka-dotted pests are "still here, and they're still a concern."

On the other side of things, an NYU study published Wednesday unveils that these insects are not just sticking around—they're living large and in charge, with life spans extending up to five months longer than in their early invasion days, informed by data gathered from the citizen science database iNaturalist and reported by Gothamist. Kristin Winchell, the study's author and a professor of biology at NYU, said the protracted active periods for the lanternflies could boost their reproductive cycle, spelling more trouble for the local foliage.

Amidst the distressing news, however, there've been reports of predators like Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, and praying mantises placing spotted lanternflies on their lunch menu, as mentioned by Scientific American. Yet, New Yorkers aren't off the hook. With the bugs adept at stowing away on high-speed forms of transportation like trains and planes, unintentional human-assisted travel remains a significant factor in their spread, according to Matthew Travis, national policy manager for spotted lanternflies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

While the proliferation of these pests may have seen some ebb thanks to the civic-minded New Yorkers who've turned bug squashing into a pastime, efforts to introduce natural predators are also underway. As Eshenaur mentioned to Scientific American, a certain mid-Atlantic native fungus that goes after lanternflies is under evaluation for potential large-scale pest control measures.