Spotted Lanternfly Reaches Adult Stage In PA: Start Squishing

PENNSYLVANIA — If you happen to see a spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that feeds on more than 100 host plants until their leaves curl and wilt and render them vulnerable to fatal diseases, squish it and let Pennsylvania agricultural officials know you did it.

With speckled light brown forewings and scarlet and black hind wings, they’re so darned pretty that killing them may seem counterintuitive, but it’s one of the best defenses against these planthoppers, which agricultural officials are trying to stop before they spread into western states.

Spotted lanternflies, first discovered about a decade ago in Berks County, are established in Pennsylvania and 13 other states — Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia. And they have been reported in several others, including Utah, California and Oregon, where dead lanternflies have been observed. It’s unclear if the planthoppers naturally migrated there, or if they hitched a ride on products like landscaping plants, firewood and other products that move across the country.

The threat to trees and the industries they support is so severe that public officials are outright telling people to squish adult lanternflies on the spot — before they can deposit their egg masses.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Penn State University and Extension to control and contain spotted lanternflies, which they abbreviate as SLF. The department asks Keystone State residents to destroy the bugs at any life stage, get rid of trees that could host them, and be aware of spotted lanternfly quarantine zones. Residents and businesses in 51 Pennsylvania counties, including the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metro areas, are asked to comply with the quarantine order in 2023.

"Any efforts you make in destroying the Spotted Lanternfly or its egg masses help reduce populations on your property and in your community," says the Department of Agriculture website.

Adult lanternflies begin emerging in July and can be found through December, according to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

If you find a spotted lanternfly, snap a photo, file a report with state officials, and then kill the bug. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says most states are at risk, and timely reports are the best way to eradicate the insects before they become even more invasive.

Right now, spotted lanternflies are in their adult stage (they have a three-stage lifecycle), and these prolific breeders are busy laying masses, which contain anywhere from 30-50 eggs.

Know what you’re looking for. While many photos show them with their wings unfolded, exposing their red-spotted under wings, that only happens when the insects are ready to take flight. It’s more common to see adults resting with their black-spotted, pinkish-tan wings folded over their backs. When females are carrying eggs, their abdomens swell to the point they can barely fly.

If you can’t bring yourself to squish them, trap them.

The New Jersey Patch collaborated with Duke Farms environmental experts to show readers how to make do-it-yourself lanternfly traps. (See the 11-minute step-by-step video below.)

You’ll need:

• 2 plastic 1-gallon milk or water jugs that can be cut with scissors
• 2 one-half-inch thick rubber bands
• 1 22-inch-long piece of 16-gauge metal wire
• 1 24-inch-by-36-inch plastic coated screen, such as a window screen replacement
• 1 2.5-gallon Ziplock bag
• 1 6-inch long piece of all-weather tape
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• All-natural string or twine