PENNSYLVANIA — As the cooler weather arrives, Pennsylvania's most notorious invasive species will undergo it's latest transformation.

Strategies to contain the protean and pestilential menace change likes colors with the seasons. The spotted lanternfly's egg masses will be laid from September through December, a timeframe which affords Pennsylvania residents the opportunity to make perhaps the greatest impact in fighting back against the bug.

While the adult spotted lanternfly doesn't survive the winter, the egg masses do before hatching in the spring. They're visible from now through June.

RELATED: What 30 Years Of Spotted Lanternfly Spread In PA Could Look Like

The invasive and destructive bug is devastating to both Pennsylvania's economy and environment. They feast on some of the state's most vital plants and crops, including grapevines, maples, and black walnut. Pennsylvania is where the bugs, of Asian-origin, first found purchase in the United States. Since their arrival in Berks County in 2014, they've continued to spread through much of the mid-Atlantic and parts of the northeast and midwest.

When they feed, they excrete honeydew, which can attract bees, wasps and other insects. The substance also builds up and promotes the growth of sooty mold, which can cover plants, forest understories, patio furniture, cars and other surfaces.

The spotted lanternfly prefers the Tree of Heaven, which is common in Pennsylvania.

The egg masses are about 1 inch in size and contain 30-50 eggs. Eighty to 90 percent of egg masses on trees are found 10 feet above the ground or higher, officials say.

A total of 45 counties around Pennsylvania are now under lanternfly quarantine, in an effort to control the bug's spread.

Egg masses are easy to identify and should be scraped off. Use a putty knife, credit card, or other firm, blunt-edged tool to scrape. A helpful tutorial on this process is here, courtesy of Penn State Extension.

Spotted lanternflies often lay their eggs on flat surfaces, such as tree bark, rocks, lawn furniture, firewood, boats, RVs, pallets or anything left outdoors, which can be transported to new locations. Freshly laid egg masses have a light-gray, mud-like covering, while older egg masses change in color to a light tan, resembling cracked mud. Hatched egg masses lose the mud-like covering, exposing individual eggs that look similar to seeds.

See photos of egg masses below, courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture:

With reporting from Patch correspondent Josh Bakan

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