Shinning A Light On The Spotted Lanternfly
The Spotted Lanternfly is originally native to China, India, and Vietnam. It was actually introduced into Korea in 2006, and by September 2014 it had made it way to the United States. Today it has now become an invasive species in Eastern PA and Southwestern NJ. This area includes Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. This insect has the potential to be devastating to agricultural crops in Pennsylvania, if left unchecked. In particular grapes, hops, and hardwoods could be hardest hit. Fortunately Penn State University, the USDA, and the PA Department of agriculture have joined forces to develop a plan to control and contain the Spotted Lanternfly.
What can you do?
Check all vehicles, trailers, or any outdoor items before moving it out of the guaranteed area. “Look before you leave”
Kill egg masses October thru May by scraping them off surfaces and putting hen directly in a zip-lock bag that has either alcohol or hand sanitizer int it.
Remove 90% of the Spotted Lanternfly’s host plant – the Tree of Heaven. The remaining 1% should be treated with a systemic insecticide which will serve as a trap plant. Once they feed on the trap plants, they will die.
Placing sticky traps at the base of trees has been effective in in capturing nymphs attempting to crawl up tree trunks.
Trees can be treated with systemic insecticides from June thru August. We recommend the following Bonide products for Spotted Lanternfly – Annual Tree and Shrub Drench, Systemic Insect Control, Eight or Malathion.