Do you enjoy peaches and blueberries? What about wine and beer? Spotted lanternfly is not your friend!
These sap-sucking critters excrete a honeydew that causes sooty mold to grow on fruit and vegetables including grapes and hops, making them unmarketable for products. Vodka anyone?
Spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that damages over 70 plant species including shade trees, fruit trees, vegetables, grains, herbs and hops. As of March 2020, spotted lanternfly infestations have been found in Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester & Salem Counties in New Jersey. Individual spotted lanternfly finds have been reported in Essex & Cape May counties. Originally found in Berks County PA, spotted lanternfly is now in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Spotted Lanternfly lay their eggs in the fall. The egg masses look like a smear of dirt, and the eggs hatch the following spring. Each egg mass contains 30-50 eggs! Spotted lanternfly have four nymph stages and become pretty, one-inch adults in the summer.
September – December. Egg laying. Egg masses can be removed up until hatching begins in May. They are found on trees, trailers, grills, home siding, swing sets, vehicles, etc. Scrape off the egg mass with a plastic card, deposit into a baggy containing hand sanitizer, or squish them in the bag. Seal and throw away the baggie.
May – June. Nymphs. There are 4 stages of nymphs. They are small, from 1/8”-1/2”. Nymphs travel up the tree to eat tender, new growth. You can band trees with sticky tape, BUT you should cover the banded area with chicken wire to keep small mammals and birds from getting stuck on the tape.
July – December: Adult Spotted lanternfly. Kill them. Whack them. Flyswatter them. Step on them.
Who can help? Everyone! Walkers, hunters, hikers, explorers, gardeners. Destroy egg masses, squish nymphs and adults.
The Tree of Heaven (ailanthus altissima) is a preferred host of Spotted lanternfly. It is an exotic-invasive tree, so remove it! Can’t tell if it’s an Aithanthus, black walnut, or staghorn sumac? Crush a handful of leaves and take a whiff. If it smells like rotten peanut butter you have an ailanthus tree.
Spotted lanternfly can devastate New Jersey’s agricultural industry (Jersey tomatoes!), our home gardens and ornamental trees, and they are gross. Let’s work together to stop the spread of this invasive, destructive pest.
For more information visit:
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/spottedlanternfly.html