William J. Kemble reports for the Daily Freeman that the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Agriculture & Markets are warning New Yorkers to watch out for the Spotted Lanternfly in Christmas trees this month. The invasive insect or its muddy brown egg clusters could be in evergreen trees. The red, yellow, and brown fly, an inch-long insect with dark spots on its wings, came from Asia in 2014. “If you find it in your Christmas tree just kill it,” Woodstock Tree Committee member Michael Veitch says. “If you find an egg cluster — it looks like mud kind of stuck to the tree — burn it.” The DEC has a quarantine on Christmas trees coming from other states where the Spotted Lanternfly has been found. “New York's annual yield of apples and grapes, with a combined value of $358.4 million, could be impacted if Spotted Lanternfly enters New York,” the DEC says. “The full extent of economic damage this insect could cause is unknown at this time.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.