A new species of fly from China has made its way to the US, and this fly could spell some serious trouble for Californian agriculture.

The “lantern fly” is a sap-sucking insect that was discovered in the US as late as five years ago in Pennsylvania.

The lantern fly has currently made itself at home in several US states, but there are concerns that the fly could soon make it to California, which would be a disaster for agriculture. The lantern fly secretes a “honeydew,” which welcomes a form of black mold that damages a plant’s ability to grow. The dew left behind by this fly also attracts other unwelcome visitors to a plant’s doorstep, including ants and hornets. Furthermore, the impact that these flies would have on the state of California would cause far-reaching effects. Industry reports state that California is the world’s fourth-largest wine grower, selling over $35 billion worth of wine domestically, and another $1.5 billion abroad.

California is a hot spot for many bugs. 44% of Californian bug species that hail from outside the US were first introduced to the US in other states. Researchers have been able to track migration patterns, and as such they have come to the conclusion that the lantern fly will arrive in California soon. If the problem is dealt with quickly and with planning and preparation, serious damage can be avoided. Once an invasive insect species establishes a population in a new area, it is a huge pain to do anything about it. There is hope in another insect species hailing from China; a small, parasitic wasp that lays its own eggs inside the lantern fly’s eggs. The wasp does this with a pointy appendage that it uses to commandeer other insect’s eggs by inserting larvae that kills and eats the host before tunneling escape holes through the egg. These wasps present no threat to people, but researchers need to confirm whether or not the wasp will harm other native insect species before releasing it in California.