Spotted lanternflies pose risk to some trees
When spotted lanternflies turn to adults, they grow wings. Their red color remains in the underwings. (Photos by Jon Andreassi)
Jon Andreassi
Jon Andreassi
Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species that were first discovered in Bucks County in 2014.
An older spotted lanternfly nymph, the last stage before they reach adulthood
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Spotted lanternflies are getting ready to spread their wings once again, and little can be done other than reporting and squishing on sight.
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species native to China. They were first discovered in Berks County in 2014, and will kill certain types of trees, such as saplings, sumac, grapevines and tree-of-heaven.
Since the lanternflies are invasive, they are not targets for predators.
“In that time, our natural predators have not picked up on this tasty food source yet. It could develop. If birds decide to start eating these, then it will be a pretty easy meal,” said Chris Vandenbosche, Penn State Extension master gardener coordinator in Allegheny County.
Penn State Extension tracks the spread of lanternflies and asks that people report when they discover spotted lanternflies on their property.
“Those reports are very helpful,” Vandenbosche said.
Reports can be made at extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly.
For people and pets, lanternflies do not present a danger, according to Vandenbosche, as they do not bite or sting.
“Lanternflies are fairly innocuous to a homeowner,” Vandenbosche said. “We don’t need to freak out about them.”
Trees on your property, however, may be in peril. Homeowners have a couple of insecticide options to try to prevent trees dying from lanternflies.
A contact-based insecticide is applied directly to the surface of a tree, but “systemic” insecticides work from the inside.
“It’s either injected or fed to the roots, and it’s present there inside the sap when the insect bites the tree,” Vandenbosche said.
When it comes to other types of plants, Vandenbosche said that spotted lanternflies do not pose a risk. They are unlikely to destroy vegetables, and so far this year have not posed a major risk to fruit trees.
“We’re not seeing a huge impact aside from grapevines,” Vandenbosche said. “We’re not seeing the damage that we were anticipating on things like fruit trees. They have not had a huge impact on our fruit orchards in Pennsylvania … They prefer the woody stems of leaves and vines.”
As officials have tried to manage the spotted lanternfly population in recent years, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has placed the majority of counties under “quarantine.”
Those living in a quarantined county could face criminal or civil fines if they intentionally transport lanternflies across county lines. Washington, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are all quarantined. Fayette County was added to the quarantine list this year, while Greene County remains off the list.
“We want everyone to be aware of the hitchhiking ability of spotted lanternflies,” Vandenbosche said.
Spotted lanternflies could travel in your car or any outdoor equipment you may be transporting.
“If people are going camping, RV’ing, driving across county lines, inspect all of your things. Looking for any life stage of the spotted lanternflies,” Vandenbosche said.
The hunt for lanternflies begins in the winter, when egg masses begin to appear. A single female lanternfly will lay two egg masses with about 40 to 50 eggs in each. So killing a single lanternfly could potentially prevent another 100 from hatching.
Around April, young nymphs begin to appear. These are black with white spots. As they mature, the nymphs will turn from black to red.
Spotted lanternflies turn into adults around the end of July or early August. At this stage, they grow wings and are about one inch long. Their red underwings make them easy to spot.
Other than reporting them, Vandenbosche advises that people stomp, squish or zap spotted lanternflies when given the opportunity.
“Any reduction in numbers is a welcome reduction in numbers,” Vandenbosche said.
As the lanternflies have moved into the western part of the state, their numbers have dropped in the eastern counties where they were originally discovered.
However, it is not clear what this may portend for the future.
“It’s too early to say that’s a hopeful pattern,” Vandenbosche said. “We’re trying to figure out why they’re decreasing. If we can pinpoint what’s doing that, then maybe we can harness that.”