CLEVELAND — “Got it!” Kyle Warren yelled excitedly.

He’d just killed a Spotted Lanternfly.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture recently added 11 counties to a quarantine order for the insect. One was already in place for Jefferson County.

Warren is a natural resource technician at The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. He’s set up what he calls an "eradication station," so he and visitors kill all the spotted lanternflies they see.

“It is a very beautiful insect, but unfortunately because of their invasive nature, they do pose a threat to our native habitats here,” he said.

ODA is hoping to prevent the spread of the insect from areas where it’s established to new areas.

The spotted lanternfly doesn’t fly. They crawl up things and jump off.

“Really good at hitchhiking on vehicles. It can hold on at high speeds — 60 mph or more,” said Jonathan Shields, agriculture inspection manager at ODA.

Shields said the insect has spread quicky across the United States because it travels on cars and trains. They’re asking people to check their vehicles before traveling if leaving a place known to have the insects.

Although they’re not harmful to humans — they don’t bite or sting — they can do extensive damage to vineyards and plants.

Shield said they feed on the sap on over 100 different types of plants but prefer the Tree of Heaven and grapevines.

The insect’s waste, referred to as honeydew, is harmless to humans but can promote the growth of a mold. If it grows on fruit, it should not be eaten.

He said residents can help by eliminating Trees of Heaven, stomping on the adult insects and getting rid of their egg masses. The masses look like brown mud on tree bark.

One spotted lanternfly can lay up to 80 eggs. ODA advises scraping off the eggs and disposing of them after putting them in soapy water.