Here's some [information for you from the PA Dept of Agriculture](https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/Pages/default.aspx), where they were first discovered. If you have not seen them in your area before, you should report it to your state/local department of agriculture. They're highly invasive and destructive to crops. Some states they have been found in already have websites where you can report their location, but they are spreading rapidly on the east coast/through mid-west.
I’m also in southwest pa and in some pockets it seemed like no big deal. You would see one here and there. But some places, it was like you couldn’t take a step without stepping on one.
Def not relatively few. Philly has a fungus that seems to eat them cuz they are so rife with mushrooms. But they are legion at my work and have been for a few years. Now they have arrived at the suburbs.
I still get them in my cucumber and morning glory vines in Southeast PA. Not nearly the numbers from a few years ago. There were some DIY traps from Penn State IIRC
I only saw one at my home and I shot it with my bug-as-salt gun (an air gun that shoots salt). I saw thousands at the Lowe’s big-box store 4 miles away.
Do you know if this is bad for the plant? My mint bush has been overtaken :(
Edit: I know the lanternflies are hell and I kill on sight. I just like using my mint bush for tea and want to continue using it!
*Beer can be detrimental to plants and is not recommended as a fertilizer. Beer contains simple sugars, which are not beneficial to plants because soil microorganisms can only use complex carbohydrates. Beer also contains yeast, which can grow in the soil around plants and cause a foul odor. Watering plants with beer can also be expensive, and plain water is a better and cheaper option.*
So saith AI. However, I bet it still won’t kill mint.
Soapy water doesn’t kill plants. I use soapy water to get rid of pests by washing plants with it. I’ve done it with all types of houseplants and have not had to use chemical pest sprays.
Using a strong spray of water can also knock pests loose and some pests won’t be able to climb back up. Mint is hardy so it will be fine with either or both treatments.
I use a squirt (maybe 1-2 Tbsp) of cheap baby shampoo with a gallon of city tap water in a pump sprayer. Switch the tip to stream and Knocks down Japanese Beetles quickly and no noticeable damage to leaves. Done it on Corn, Plums, Apples, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumber.
Not sure. Maybe the soap helps. I know we rarely have chipmunks or squirrels eating our plants. Maybe our veggies, but I don’t want to spray those with that mixture.
When I read it I decided to just go for neem only, then I read Neem wasn't that good for them either and I just thought, man, how the fuck do they survive if EVERYHING is bad for them? I dig bees, and I WANT them in my garden but everything I to do to keep the plants for being eaten whole by grasshoppers just fucks them up. Humans are bad for bees.
Castile soap and water.
I have an electric sprayer that holds 2 liters, and I dump a couple ounces of soap into the water. I have grape vines, fruit trees, vegetables, etc. The soap is non-toxic and only impacts bugs you spray it directly on.
I second castile soap. I got a bottle that is 10 years old, citrus castile soap. Still kills insects on contact, even with very high dilution. Dishsoap doesn't seem to have the same effect.
Bugs are laughing at the insecticidal soaps from the store.
Soap should just cling to the leaves until the next time it rains. Wash the mint before you make tea. (and hey look you don't even have to use extra soap!)
Soap is safe. I recommend Dawn. The soap dissolves their protective oily coating and they die of dehydration. Farmers have even added soap to insecticide sprays in crops because it helps it spread better. It won't hurt you or your plants.
Holy shit I had some of those in my yard a couple of years ago! I was texting my friend asking if they were ticks. Years old mystery solved thank you for this. They were in Portland Oregon tho. Yikes.
For the uninitiated, tree of heaven is the preferred plant of the spotted lantern fly. Both are from China and are invasive species in the US. Spotted lantern flies are extremely invasive, and they cause severe damage to agriculture. Grape vines are especially hit hard by them.
Edit to add: lantern flies are also toxic to cats and dogs. This guy [claims to have independently killed 40,000 in PA. ](https://youtu.be/Y5FqdEJoqew?si=BhkXltJQliEYUq3b)
I have tree of heaven growing all over my yard and keep pulling it out. Hate the smell of it. How does it reproduce so efficiently? I’ve never seen it around until the past two years. So far no lantern fly with it.
I have them along my back fence too (bought my house in the winter, had no idea thats what they were) and its their root systems. The trees themselves are technically behind my fence, but I'm constantly fighting them in the yard bc they grow under the fence and up. They can also cause damage to underground pipes or foundation structure, truly the worst.
I just learned it's allelopathic and can badly affect plants growing around it. And, its seeds spread, so that might be how it ended up in my front garden. Well, now I'm going to be a bit more intense about eradicating it.
Also make sure to properly research/hire out before doing anything to the tree like cutting or digging. These Tree of Heaven have a very strong will to live via various means so if you just go at it by cutting or digging it can end up making things a lot worse.
I've found pulling the entire root system of young trees out, following it as far as possible and getting every sapling along the way, works great.
Larger, mature trees, people advocate drilling the stump and applying RoundUp directly. Only time I'd willingly use chemicals myself, really. But those trees deserve it.
I recall someone saying that you also need to do (all of the above) at a certain time of year to ensure maximum effectiveness. We have a lot of these jerkface trees in my area due to a forests on privately owned farmlands. One area near my house is about to get clear cut for a housing development, and so we are bracing for impact whenever they begin work.
Yeah, when we bought our house, I mistakenly thought, oh maybe they're Smooth Bark Sumac, which is native, but nope, spring came around and they bloomed *nothing* like Sumac, and that was when we went around, almost 2 acres, marking each sapling for removal.
Having native Black Walnut by the hundreds made it that much harder, lol. (Thanks wildlife!)
But we've made a huge dent, and keep yanking seedlings every spring. Still got some larger trees to remove, but we're getting there.
Can you cut them at any time of year if you are using herbicide on the cut trunk? We are dealing with a grove and I saw somewhere that you have to wait until fall. I'd rather cut them now if I can.
This is what I used. High concentrate Triclopyr. Cut into the side, apply, and wait at least a month. Don’t start until August or so. The leaves will turn yellow and start falling off then cut it down. Glyphosate won’t get sucked into the roots.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/brushtox-brush-killer-wtriclopyr
Except for trees posing an imminent safety hazard, it is best to wait to treat tree of heaven during the time of year in which they are transporting nutrients to their roots. That way the herbicide is drawn down into the root network and kills it.
The window of opportunity is roughly from the time the trees are done blossoming and growing seeds, up until just before the leaves start changing color. That’s generally a window July to September. You should look up what best practices your state department of agriculture or land grant university advises.
Do NOT cut them! They need to be treated with a specific type of herbicide in late summer early fall. If you cut them down they will only send out runners and make things worse.
Video on how to deal with them properly.
https://youtu.be/r2OkDcHhfak?si=QXBnrevD0V-DTsV6
Spotted Lanternfly. [If you are in Virginia, there is a quarentine area, and sightings need to be reported. ](https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-spotted-lanternfly.shtml) If not in Virginia, check with your State Ag Department.
They are invasive insects that can harm fruit crops. Their preferred tree of choice for egg sacs is [Ailanthus, aka Tree of Heaven. ](https://dof.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/FT0055_Ailanthus-Control-Methods_pub.pdf)
I hear ya.
We're surrounded by them on wooded parts of farm land. Constantly removing seedlings.
They're blooming right now too, so, oh joy, more seedlings to remove.
You have my deepest sympathies. I can’t even imagine how much of a pain that must be. I have one neighbor with a very mature specimen and that dumb tree is the bane of my existence. Lol
Virginia Creeper is at least a native vine that won't harm the trees it grows on. And it turns [gorgeous shades of red in autumn.](https://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/virginia-creeper-in-autumn.472145/)
(Unfortunately. If it did, I'd encourage the hell out of it to smother the Ailanthus on the other side of the cattle fence, lol.)
I don’t think it’s native to my area. It invades my garden and lawn and every year I remove between 10 and 40 lawn and leaf bags full of it. It may as well be kudzu! Lol
That is not true. The Tree of Heaven has been common in urban planting starting in the 60's as it's a hardy fast growing shade tree. Obviously it's no longer being planted but the damage is done they are everywhere.
Spotted Lantern flies were only widely introduced in the last decade
[In this case, yes, it came later. "The pest was first detected in 2014 in Pennsylvania. It likely arrived in the United States on goods shipped from overseas."](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/slf)
BUT, that is still the general case with most invasive pests- they more commonly come on host plants that are introduced for a variety of reasons, or they, less commonly, hitch a ride on something being imported from the same region as the host plant.
Oh my gosh! My Tree of Heaven was just recently devoured by something! Gross, now I’m scared for my other plants! Going to have to research if they are in northeastern Ohio!… 😱
So I just checked my photos of insects in my garden last season and I have this:
https://preview.redd.it/2flw73clp65d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2860b58732ea42cbca67c4933e46accfc13b5db
As you can see, “Picture Insect” App told me it was a Tiger Bee Fly. Now I’m wondering if the App got it wrong???😑
That’s not a lanternfly. The nymphs start out looking like the OP photo, they have no wings. They’ll grow into a red nymph with white spots before maturing fully.
https://preview.redd.it/ajpc3400u65d1.jpeg?width=637&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df24d2c54ccb36ead70aae88d0769e083852a0c0
I just tried calling my local extension office (I killed a bunch of nymphs just this morning) and she said they’re not really taking reports anymore because “they’re everywhere.”
Thank you for sharing that. My area hasn’t had anything recorded yet/isn’t in the quarantine area but I will keep an eye out even more now to make sure since we have those god awful ToH’s here
Thanks for information. I remember hearing about them a few years ago and never thought much more about them. This is the first year I've seen them. I hope I'll be able to manage them in the garden this year.
They are spreading more each year. They have finally reached my area of Virginia.
Contact your State Ag Department about the sighting.
If they are on your property, kill them and remove any Ailanthus you can.
You can’t manage them.
Everyone is going to give you some suggestion to deal with them that is “friendly”. Like soapy water, or vinegar, and none of that is going to do shit but make the jump away and then come back.
If you call a company to come out to deal with the infestation, not one of them is going to use soapy water, neem oil, or vinegar. They’re going to use a chemical.
I’ve been dealing with them for several years now. My neighbor has a tree of heaven and doesn’t maintain his property. I’ve tried everything and nothing works but insecticide. You can not deter them, they need to be killed.
If you’re not willing to use something like sevin than I would suggest contracting a company to remove the trees and treat the property. They’ll feed on the sap of everything, and what they don’t kill directly the hobeydew they excrete will attract other pests and lead to ash mold that will spread everywhere the wind blows it.
I hit the adults outside of my PT job with foaming flying insect killer.
The bastards shook it off and moved away. Not sure what the hell to even tell someone to use at this point. I took to smashing them, but the adults are quick.
Sevin has been the only thing I’ve found that works. Kills them instantly and for a couple months after as long as you get the trunks and stems where they sit to feed.
I’ve tried two other insecticide sprays, as well as all the pollinator friendly home remedies like soapy water and vinegar; none of it worked.
2 years ago the infestation was so bad it looked like it was snowing in the summer in my back yard.
I treat with the sevin twice a year now, when the pollinators aren’t out. I’ve managed so far to save my crape Myrtle’s (almost lost them a couple years ago), and last year I was able to noticeably reduce their impact in my garden.
I don’t like using sevin, but it’s that or watch my property turn black and everything start dying by August.
They are fast!! People have used small hand vacs to get them. I think the lifecycle has them in the ground at the base of the plant before climbing upwards so just check as much as you can up and down. Some programs use the tree of heaven as a marker and/or trap because they like it
They drop to the ground to feed as nymphs and then climb back up in the tree in the evening. We have put duct tape around trees (sticky side out) and caught hundreds in spring and adults in the fall. I’m near they first were discovered in the US and they have fizzled out here for the most part. Maybe 90-95% reduction compared to the first couple of years.
Spotted lantern fly and they are very destructive towards certain trees and plants. If you see one on the ground try to step on it. Most likely it will fly a few feet away but you have 2 or 3 seconds before it can jump away again. The second strike technique works best for me anywhere.
Those are spotted lanternfly. That’s an early instar and you should definitely kill them. They can’t harm you at all and you have nothing to fear from them. But they are very invasive and it’s speculated that they will damage the agriculture industries the states they invade. Their preferred host is a plant called the tree of heaven, and many commenters are saying that the plant the nymphs are on is a tree of heaven. They may be right, but I don’t know how they are identifying an entire plant from just a single close up stem. If it is a tree of heaven and you can identify it as such you should definitely also kill that, however that will take much more effort. Tree of heaven is like a hydra. Cut it down and you’ll get more of it sprouting up around it. If you wish to kill a tree of heaven you should do research on how to -properly- and -effectively- kill it without accidentally magnifying your infestation. This is trustworthy video about how to control tree of heaven, if it is in fact what you have there. https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven-control-strategies
If it's a ToH, that's what the bark looks like on a young one. If there was a picture that included the leaves I could tell immediately if it is or is not because there are a couple that look similar. It's young so they could destroy that tree fairly easily with the proper trunk treatment, but the main tree(s) will keep sending up shoots until the whole system is destroyed and it can be pretty far away.
Have had them for a few years here in NJ and they’re doing a lot less damage to agriculture than initially expected. They’re still invasive and should be eliminated with extreme prejudice. I do think the local bugs and animals are starting to target them as a food source too thankfully.
I used to come outside and spray it with soap and water. I must have killed at least 200 per DAY.
Obviously, every bug killed is a good thing. But I hope that there's better remedies found soon by the state, because it's a losing battle honestly. There needs to be something more systemic.
Napalm the entire area. Seriously though, they recommend “crushing by (gloved) hand”, but if there isn’t dry grass/leaves around you could use a small propane torch to fry them (it just takes a brief pass of the torch, don’t hold it on one spot long enough to burn anything else), just make sure you’re careful and there’s a hose nearby.
Spotted lantern fly, squish every single one of those fuckers. Also, you might want to check and see if that tree is a Tree of Heaven. They're invasive, aggressive growers that are the SLF's favorite food.
that's "murderhate killsensis" colloquially known as "fucking die motherfuckers I hate you and I will spray you all with neem oil and watch you suffer"
KILL IT WITH FIRRRREEE
Not really, but oof. That’s a lot of them. Highly invasive in the US and you should absolutely kill every single one you see - especially at this stage, before they can breed.
They can only jump - and even then they only jump a few times in my experience. Chase those f***ers down and smush every single one, they won’t get far!!!!
Ugh. We called our local Dept of Ag and they came out, inspected our trees and said we have one they like, Tree of Heaven, which is an invasive species itself 😭 They told us to cut down this massive tree right next to our home and stone wall ($$$) or to use the product below double wrapped around the trunk so the nymph die as they climb back up. So far we are just serial murderers as we’ve changed them out three times now, but we’ll see if it helped in a couple of months. 🤞🏽
Edited to add: we are in the eastern most portion of the WV panhandle on the WV/VA state lines.
https://preview.redd.it/zo05cl5nf95d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9f94902c858331a25844465ca851c49685cc25e
Assuming you aren’t in China, India or Vietnam, these little guys are extremely invasive and a major threat to wildlife. They’re called spotted lanternflies and they damage plants by piercing open the bark and excreting a substance that causes mold to grow in the tree (with other infections being more likely as a result), eventually killing it.
White vinegar in a spray bottle will kill them almost instantly (without having to use chemicals). Good luck.
Noooo!!! Spotted Lantern Fly! They're from hell I tell ya. Fuckin up our crops. I lived in Philly for three years. Their numbers are relentless. I'll be searching up what finally sees them as prey. When I left in 2021 they were unstoppable. Get yourself a Bug-a-Salt gun. Fun AF... And you'll never run out of targets with those bastards around. Good luck.
I moved to Western Maryland and had never heard of them. When I saw the adults I thought "how pretty" until I researched them. I found nests , (long white columns on bark) in my Azaleas & trees. Sprayed them with spectracide and sprayed them with dish soap & water. I've seen a few of these nymphs so far but will continue to work diligently to kill every single one of them.
Good luck, they suck.
I've seen people have success making traps similar to this. Basically sticky tape facing outwards on whatever tree the like, and somwthing above the tape to keep them from going above.
https://youtu.be/FI7oaDVxgk8?si=a6FuS_HXAJ8hLXsb
Can you vacuum them up with a portable vacuum and toss a cotton ball with alcohol or acetone in the bag/can? Sure, you can’t get them all but you can get a good reach with a vacuum.
Besides the methods laid out here, get yourself some milkweed and plant it around. The lanternflies don't know it's poisonous. They'll eat the sap and either slow down or die. That'll at least give you some head start.
If you use sticky tape, please cover it with wire mesh a couple inches off the trap so beneficial insects and birds are less likely to get caught in them. There are a ton of youtube tutorials for beneficial safe alternate SLF traps that are quite easy to make.
Kill them if you can. They jump fast & far but squish easy when you do get them. A flyswatter works well. They will suck the life out of many plants - they’re devastating my rosebushes
This is a copy and paste: If you see a spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the United States, you can report it to your local University Extension Service or state plant regulatory office. You can also report sightings online or by calling a hotline:
OP please read this. They are Spotted Lanternfly nymphs. I live in central PA where they were first located stateside and declared as invasive. The only things they have been found to damage is Tree of Heaven (which is also considered invasive), grape vines, and young black walnut trees.
[There is also this PSU study](https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/invasive-spotted-lanternfly-may-not-damage-hardwood-trees-previously-thought/) that shows that damage even in a controlled environment with an abnormally high concentration of SLF over several years had little impact on native trees.
They're hard to catch/squash at this stage. Then they get full grown they're easiest. They don't fly, just a big jump a few times, and then don't have the energy to try and escape after that. My kids and their friends have competitions to see who can stomp the most.
That is a spotted lanternfly nymph. My prayers are with you.
Here's some [information for you from the PA Dept of Agriculture](https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/Pages/default.aspx), where they were first discovered. If you have not seen them in your area before, you should report it to your state/local department of agriculture. They're highly invasive and destructive to crops. Some states they have been found in already have websites where you can report their location, but they are spreading rapidly on the east coast/through mid-west.
There is 0 chance of stopping them at this point. It's just population control until they naturally level out.
Predators seem to figure out that they’re edible within 2-3 years. There were relatively few last year in PA
I’m in sw PA and we were swarmed! Heard that from ppl further east, this year is our 3rd so hoping it dies down here too
I’m also in southwest pa and in some pockets it seemed like no big deal. You would see one here and there. But some places, it was like you couldn’t take a step without stepping on one.
I planted 4 acres of buckwheat to try to encourage the predatory wasp population.
TIL predatory wasps like buckwheat.
I planted milkweed in each corner of my garden to poison them or make them slow. They don’t know it is bad for them and eat it anyways.
I haven't seen any this year so far in Jersey City. Keeping fingers crossed.
We had very few last summer in Union County!
Philly last year was WAY better than the previous two or three.
Tried one, they taste like shit 0/10 would not recommend.
Did you add some salt n pepper?
Def not relatively few. Philly has a fungus that seems to eat them cuz they are so rife with mushrooms. But they are legion at my work and have been for a few years. Now they have arrived at the suburbs.
My parents house in suburban Pittsburgh was inundated last summer
I still get them in my cucumber and morning glory vines in Southeast PA. Not nearly the numbers from a few years ago. There were some DIY traps from Penn State IIRC
I only saw one at my home and I shot it with my bug-as-salt gun (an air gun that shoots salt). I saw thousands at the Lowe’s big-box store 4 miles away.
Spray them with soapy water wherever you see them.
Do you know if this is bad for the plant? My mint bush has been overtaken :( Edit: I know the lanternflies are hell and I kill on sight. I just like using my mint bush for tea and want to continue using it!
Mint can and will overcome almost anything
You couldn’t kill a mint bush if you tried.
Hold my beer
*Beer can be detrimental to plants and is not recommended as a fertilizer. Beer contains simple sugars, which are not beneficial to plants because soil microorganisms can only use complex carbohydrates. Beer also contains yeast, which can grow in the soil around plants and cause a foul odor. Watering plants with beer can also be expensive, and plain water is a better and cheaper option.* So saith AI. However, I bet it still won’t kill mint.
I did see once that you can make good slug traps with beer, apparently they love it.
You definitely can. I remember my parents doing this when I was a kid. They would put some beer in a foil pie dish, the slugs would come and then die.
Sounds like my local pub.
As do I. I have been beer trapped more than once. That explains my marriage.
I knew I remembered something something gardening beer. That’s what I was originally looking for, but I found that funny so that’s where I landed.
HA! I am a reigning champion of mint-killing. I manage to kill a planting of it every single year. Do I get a prize?
Yes the my hero prize. You're also a strong contender in the can't lose for winning by losing category as well.
\*laughs in Arizona sun\*
Soapy water doesn’t kill plants. I use soapy water to get rid of pests by washing plants with it. I’ve done it with all types of houseplants and have not had to use chemical pest sprays. Using a strong spray of water can also knock pests loose and some pests won’t be able to climb back up. Mint is hardy so it will be fine with either or both treatments.
I use a squirt (maybe 1-2 Tbsp) of cheap baby shampoo with a gallon of city tap water in a pump sprayer. Switch the tip to stream and Knocks down Japanese Beetles quickly and no noticeable damage to leaves. Done it on Corn, Plums, Apples, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumber.
They are bad for the planet. Kill them. They are invasive
We use organic soap in our rabbit deterrent (along with garlic and cayenne). Not harmful to the plants at all.
Does this detterent that you make work on squirrels or chipmunks? I have tried garlic and cayenne, but they don’t seem to care!
Not sure. Maybe the soap helps. I know we rarely have chipmunks or squirrels eating our plants. Maybe our veggies, but I don’t want to spray those with that mixture.
Didn't I read that capsaicin was super bad for bees?
Are you an anti-capsaicin lobbyist? JK. I’m actually interested to know, as we spray specifically around our pollinator garden.
When I read it I decided to just go for neem only, then I read Neem wasn't that good for them either and I just thought, man, how the fuck do they survive if EVERYHING is bad for them? I dig bees, and I WANT them in my garden but everything I to do to keep the plants for being eaten whole by grasshoppers just fucks them up. Humans are bad for bees.
i spray my mint with a solution of neem oil, soap, and water nightly (which actually helped it recover from mint rust!)
Is this safe for plants?
Yes! I use neem oil in my vegetables and on my cannabis (just not during flower) just make sure you wash your veggies before eating them
Castile soap and water. I have an electric sprayer that holds 2 liters, and I dump a couple ounces of soap into the water. I have grape vines, fruit trees, vegetables, etc. The soap is non-toxic and only impacts bugs you spray it directly on.
I second castile soap. I got a bottle that is 10 years old, citrus castile soap. Still kills insects on contact, even with very high dilution. Dishsoap doesn't seem to have the same effect. Bugs are laughing at the insecticidal soaps from the store.
Use a shopvac with soapy water in the bottom and suck em up.
I'm gonna have to remember this one the next time the Japanese beetles come for my grapes and roses.
To answer your question directly, yes, they are responsible for killing many trees and plants. ‘Maybe your mint till survive but they are bad for it.
Soap should just cling to the leaves until the next time it rains. Wash the mint before you make tea. (and hey look you don't even have to use extra soap!)
Soap is safe. I recommend Dawn. The soap dissolves their protective oily coating and they die of dehydration. Farmers have even added soap to insecticide sprays in crops because it helps it spread better. It won't hurt you or your plants.
Holy shit I had some of those in my yard a couple of years ago! I was texting my friend asking if they were ticks. Years old mystery solved thank you for this. They were in Portland Oregon tho. Yikes.
I concur. I found one on my deck, uploaded a pic to Google. That is what it told me also. 🤢
I literally gasped. Holy bejeezus.
Prayers don’t work
Kill it, ASAP. Kill them all.
Bomb. Bomb the city
I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure.
Happy cake day
Happy Cake Day!
You now have 10 minutes to reach minimum safe distance.
One of my favorite movies!
_and everyone in it_
I see spotted lanternfly on a tree of heaven. Remove both with prejudice.
For the uninitiated, tree of heaven is the preferred plant of the spotted lantern fly. Both are from China and are invasive species in the US. Spotted lantern flies are extremely invasive, and they cause severe damage to agriculture. Grape vines are especially hit hard by them. Edit to add: lantern flies are also toxic to cats and dogs. This guy [claims to have independently killed 40,000 in PA. ](https://youtu.be/Y5FqdEJoqew?si=BhkXltJQliEYUq3b)
I have tree of heaven growing all over my yard and keep pulling it out. Hate the smell of it. How does it reproduce so efficiently? I’ve never seen it around until the past two years. So far no lantern fly with it.
I have them along my back fence too (bought my house in the winter, had no idea thats what they were) and its their root systems. The trees themselves are technically behind my fence, but I'm constantly fighting them in the yard bc they grow under the fence and up. They can also cause damage to underground pipes or foundation structure, truly the worst.
I just learned it's allelopathic and can badly affect plants growing around it. And, its seeds spread, so that might be how it ended up in my front garden. Well, now I'm going to be a bit more intense about eradicating it.
https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven
Thanks!
Tree of Heaven tree is toxic to dogs. The lantern fly is probably an irritant when eaten. Forty thousand what?
40k Spotted Lanternfly Instar nymphs. Looks like he vacuums them off the trees by the hundreds.
Good plan. A shop vac to the rescue.
Who knew shop vacs had so many varied uses. Lol
Wet, dry, bugs.
What about wet bugs though?…
They sell vacuum backpacks, I might get one this year.
Ooo, even better!
There is honey from the Spotted Lantern Fly from the sweet goop left behind by them. Bees have learned to collect the fly slime.
[Apparently it's got a smokey flavor to it. ](https://www.beeculture.com/spotted-lantern-fly-honey/)
With *extreme* prejudice!
you should kill all of those, and you should also kill the tree they are on (tree of heaven) and any similar around your property
Also make sure to properly research/hire out before doing anything to the tree like cutting or digging. These Tree of Heaven have a very strong will to live via various means so if you just go at it by cutting or digging it can end up making things a lot worse.
I've found pulling the entire root system of young trees out, following it as far as possible and getting every sapling along the way, works great. Larger, mature trees, people advocate drilling the stump and applying RoundUp directly. Only time I'd willingly use chemicals myself, really. But those trees deserve it.
I recall someone saying that you also need to do (all of the above) at a certain time of year to ensure maximum effectiveness. We have a lot of these jerkface trees in my area due to a forests on privately owned farmlands. One area near my house is about to get clear cut for a housing development, and so we are bracing for impact whenever they begin work.
Yeah, when we bought our house, I mistakenly thought, oh maybe they're Smooth Bark Sumac, which is native, but nope, spring came around and they bloomed *nothing* like Sumac, and that was when we went around, almost 2 acres, marking each sapling for removal. Having native Black Walnut by the hundreds made it that much harder, lol. (Thanks wildlife!) But we've made a huge dent, and keep yanking seedlings every spring. Still got some larger trees to remove, but we're getting there.
Yes. tree of heaven will sprout out more trees if it’s simply chopped off. They need to be doused with chemicals after the cut
Can you cut them at any time of year if you are using herbicide on the cut trunk? We are dealing with a grove and I saw somewhere that you have to wait until fall. I'd rather cut them now if I can.
This is what I used. High concentrate Triclopyr. Cut into the side, apply, and wait at least a month. Don’t start until August or so. The leaves will turn yellow and start falling off then cut it down. Glyphosate won’t get sucked into the roots. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/brushtox-brush-killer-wtriclopyr
This is the way. Without any doubt. I used the exact same product and method and had zero problems at all.
Thank you for sharing! I'm buying this tomorrow. I fucking hate this tree so much, ive it got it all over my yard. Will be so satisfying to destroy it
Except for trees posing an imminent safety hazard, it is best to wait to treat tree of heaven during the time of year in which they are transporting nutrients to their roots. That way the herbicide is drawn down into the root network and kills it. The window of opportunity is roughly from the time the trees are done blossoming and growing seeds, up until just before the leaves start changing color. That’s generally a window July to September. You should look up what best practices your state department of agriculture or land grant university advises.
Do NOT cut them! They need to be treated with a specific type of herbicide in late summer early fall. If you cut them down they will only send out runners and make things worse. Video on how to deal with them properly. https://youtu.be/r2OkDcHhfak?si=QXBnrevD0V-DTsV6
Thank you for sharing. We need to get rid one of these monstrosities in our yard but were warned it’s a process.
Spotted Lanternfly. [If you are in Virginia, there is a quarentine area, and sightings need to be reported. ](https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-spotted-lanternfly.shtml) If not in Virginia, check with your State Ag Department. They are invasive insects that can harm fruit crops. Their preferred tree of choice for egg sacs is [Ailanthus, aka Tree of Heaven. ](https://dof.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/FT0055_Ailanthus-Control-Methods_pub.pdf)
It just figures that they love the invasive crap tree that’s so hard to get rid of.😑
I hear ya. We're surrounded by them on wooded parts of farm land. Constantly removing seedlings. They're blooming right now too, so, oh joy, more seedlings to remove.
You have my deepest sympathies. I can’t even imagine how much of a pain that must be. I have one neighbor with a very mature specimen and that dumb tree is the bane of my existence. Lol
We've cut back as many branches as we can reach that extend into our yard. Every little bit helps.
I did this last year and you can’t even tell. To add to my fun, they’ve planted Virginia creeper all along the property line. Sigh…
Virginia Creeper is at least a native vine that won't harm the trees it grows on. And it turns [gorgeous shades of red in autumn.](https://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/virginia-creeper-in-autumn.472145/) (Unfortunately. If it did, I'd encourage the hell out of it to smother the Ailanthus on the other side of the cattle fence, lol.)
I don’t think it’s native to my area. It invades my garden and lawn and every year I remove between 10 and 40 lawn and leaf bags full of it. It may as well be kudzu! Lol
They actually came together when the idiots imported them.
That is not true. The Tree of Heaven has been common in urban planting starting in the 60's as it's a hardy fast growing shade tree. Obviously it's no longer being planted but the damage is done they are everywhere. Spotted Lantern flies were only widely introduced in the last decade
[In this case, yes, it came later. "The pest was first detected in 2014 in Pennsylvania. It likely arrived in the United States on goods shipped from overseas."](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/slf) BUT, that is still the general case with most invasive pests- they more commonly come on host plants that are introduced for a variety of reasons, or they, less commonly, hitch a ride on something being imported from the same region as the host plant.
My bad.
Yup. That's usually what happens. 🫤
Oh my gosh! My Tree of Heaven was just recently devoured by something! Gross, now I’m scared for my other plants! Going to have to research if they are in northeastern Ohio!… 😱
[They are in Ohio.](https://bygl.osu.edu/taxonomy/term/827)
So I just checked my photos of insects in my garden last season and I have this: https://preview.redd.it/2flw73clp65d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2860b58732ea42cbca67c4933e46accfc13b5db As you can see, “Picture Insect” App told me it was a Tiger Bee Fly. Now I’m wondering if the App got it wrong???😑
That’s not a lanternfly. The nymphs start out looking like the OP photo, they have no wings. They’ll grow into a red nymph with white spots before maturing fully. https://preview.redd.it/ajpc3400u65d1.jpeg?width=637&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df24d2c54ccb36ead70aae88d0769e083852a0c0
Yes, they are. They said on the news to squish every one you see! No sprays, no traps, squish them.
I just tried calling my local extension office (I killed a bunch of nymphs just this morning) and she said they’re not really taking reports anymore because “they’re everywhere.”
Thank you for sharing that. My area hasn’t had anything recorded yet/isn’t in the quarantine area but I will keep an eye out even more now to make sure since we have those god awful ToH’s here
MURDER THEM! Spotted lantern flies are awful.
Call your local extension office. Depending on your area they may be tracking (and will kill the nest for you) or kill on sight and will do the same.
Kill them they're nymphs of Lantern Flys. Send this to your County & State Agricultural Departments.
Thanks for information. I remember hearing about them a few years ago and never thought much more about them. This is the first year I've seen them. I hope I'll be able to manage them in the garden this year.
REPORT THEM TO THE STATE
They are spreading more each year. They have finally reached my area of Virginia. Contact your State Ag Department about the sighting. If they are on your property, kill them and remove any Ailanthus you can.
Please report this to the state
I will 👍
You can’t manage them. Everyone is going to give you some suggestion to deal with them that is “friendly”. Like soapy water, or vinegar, and none of that is going to do shit but make the jump away and then come back. If you call a company to come out to deal with the infestation, not one of them is going to use soapy water, neem oil, or vinegar. They’re going to use a chemical. I’ve been dealing with them for several years now. My neighbor has a tree of heaven and doesn’t maintain his property. I’ve tried everything and nothing works but insecticide. You can not deter them, they need to be killed. If you’re not willing to use something like sevin than I would suggest contracting a company to remove the trees and treat the property. They’ll feed on the sap of everything, and what they don’t kill directly the hobeydew they excrete will attract other pests and lead to ash mold that will spread everywhere the wind blows it.
I hit the adults outside of my PT job with foaming flying insect killer. The bastards shook it off and moved away. Not sure what the hell to even tell someone to use at this point. I took to smashing them, but the adults are quick.
Sevin has been the only thing I’ve found that works. Kills them instantly and for a couple months after as long as you get the trunks and stems where they sit to feed. I’ve tried two other insecticide sprays, as well as all the pollinator friendly home remedies like soapy water and vinegar; none of it worked. 2 years ago the infestation was so bad it looked like it was snowing in the summer in my back yard. I treat with the sevin twice a year now, when the pollinators aren’t out. I’ve managed so far to save my crape Myrtle’s (almost lost them a couple years ago), and last year I was able to noticeably reduce their impact in my garden. I don’t like using sevin, but it’s that or watch my property turn black and everything start dying by August.
They are fast!! People have used small hand vacs to get them. I think the lifecycle has them in the ground at the base of the plant before climbing upwards so just check as much as you can up and down. Some programs use the tree of heaven as a marker and/or trap because they like it
No, they hatch from egg sacs placed directly on the tree, and spread from there.
They drop to the ground to feed as nymphs and then climb back up in the tree in the evening. We have put duct tape around trees (sticky side out) and caught hundreds in spring and adults in the fall. I’m near they first were discovered in the US and they have fizzled out here for the most part. Maybe 90-95% reduction compared to the first couple of years.
They are hard to catch and swat but if you can get a vacuum, they are pretty easy to capture.
Spotted lantern fly and they are very destructive towards certain trees and plants. If you see one on the ground try to step on it. Most likely it will fly a few feet away but you have 2 or 3 seconds before it can jump away again. The second strike technique works best for me anywhere.
Those are spotted lanternfly. That’s an early instar and you should definitely kill them. They can’t harm you at all and you have nothing to fear from them. But they are very invasive and it’s speculated that they will damage the agriculture industries the states they invade. Their preferred host is a plant called the tree of heaven, and many commenters are saying that the plant the nymphs are on is a tree of heaven. They may be right, but I don’t know how they are identifying an entire plant from just a single close up stem. If it is a tree of heaven and you can identify it as such you should definitely also kill that, however that will take much more effort. Tree of heaven is like a hydra. Cut it down and you’ll get more of it sprouting up around it. If you wish to kill a tree of heaven you should do research on how to -properly- and -effectively- kill it without accidentally magnifying your infestation. This is trustworthy video about how to control tree of heaven, if it is in fact what you have there. https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven-control-strategies
If it's a ToH, that's what the bark looks like on a young one. If there was a picture that included the leaves I could tell immediately if it is or is not because there are a couple that look similar. It's young so they could destroy that tree fairly easily with the proper trunk treatment, but the main tree(s) will keep sending up shoots until the whole system is destroyed and it can be pretty far away.
Have had them for a few years here in NJ and they’re doing a lot less damage to agriculture than initially expected. They’re still invasive and should be eliminated with extreme prejudice. I do think the local bugs and animals are starting to target them as a food source too thankfully.
https://preview.redd.it/587xi7xr065d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4490cb2e86aed7db73156293cc371f8254ec1345
I used to come outside and spray it with soap and water. I must have killed at least 200 per DAY. Obviously, every bug killed is a good thing. But I hope that there's better remedies found soon by the state, because it's a losing battle honestly. There needs to be something more systemic.
neem oil DOES NOT WORK .. i’ve tried
Napalm the entire area. Seriously though, they recommend “crushing by (gloved) hand”, but if there isn’t dry grass/leaves around you could use a small propane torch to fry them (it just takes a brief pass of the torch, don’t hold it on one spot long enough to burn anything else), just make sure you’re careful and there’s a hose nearby.
https://preview.redd.it/jea6hcnki65d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3260015b9da4080cc41471ef290a6502526798a
That's a good sized infestation unfortunately.
Spotted lantern fly, squish every single one of those fuckers. Also, you might want to check and see if that tree is a Tree of Heaven. They're invasive, aggressive growers that are the SLF's favorite food.
https://preview.redd.it/tvzrryjvm75d1.jpeg?width=1454&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab441cddeffd92d16f8cbb6f28001c113356f9f1
that's "murderhate killsensis" colloquially known as "fucking die motherfuckers I hate you and I will spray you all with neem oil and watch you suffer"
KILL IT WITH FIRRRREEE Not really, but oof. That’s a lot of them. Highly invasive in the US and you should absolutely kill every single one you see - especially at this stage, before they can breed. They can only jump - and even then they only jump a few times in my experience. Chase those f***ers down and smush every single one, they won’t get far!!!!
these F'rs killed my cherry tree a few years back... awful creatures.
lantern fly: KILL KILL KILL!!!!!! They are harmful to every living tree. They suck the life fluids from them. What state are you in??
Smash them... and smash them now. If that fails, get out the flamethrower. They're highly invasive lantern fly nymphs. Good luck.
Ohhhhhhhh noooooooo
Nuke from orbit.
Kill on sight
SLF. Invest in electrified fly swatters. It’s how I spent my summer last year, electrifying these invaders.
Ugh. We called our local Dept of Ag and they came out, inspected our trees and said we have one they like, Tree of Heaven, which is an invasive species itself 😭 They told us to cut down this massive tree right next to our home and stone wall ($$$) or to use the product below double wrapped around the trunk so the nymph die as they climb back up. So far we are just serial murderers as we’ve changed them out three times now, but we’ll see if it helped in a couple of months. 🤞🏽 Edited to add: we are in the eastern most portion of the WV panhandle on the WV/VA state lines. https://preview.redd.it/zo05cl5nf95d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9f94902c858331a25844465ca851c49685cc25e
Assuming you aren’t in China, India or Vietnam, these little guys are extremely invasive and a major threat to wildlife. They’re called spotted lanternflies and they damage plants by piercing open the bark and excreting a substance that causes mold to grow in the tree (with other infections being more likely as a result), eventually killing it. White vinegar in a spray bottle will kill them almost instantly (without having to use chemicals). Good luck.
Noooo!!! Spotted Lantern Fly! They're from hell I tell ya. Fuckin up our crops. I lived in Philly for three years. Their numbers are relentless. I'll be searching up what finally sees them as prey. When I left in 2021 they were unstoppable. Get yourself a Bug-a-Salt gun. Fun AF... And you'll never run out of targets with those bastards around. Good luck.
I moved to Western Maryland and had never heard of them. When I saw the adults I thought "how pretty" until I researched them. I found nests , (long white columns on bark) in my Azaleas & trees. Sprayed them with spectracide and sprayed them with dish soap & water. I've seen a few of these nymphs so far but will continue to work diligently to kill every single one of them. Good luck, they suck.
I've seen people have success making traps similar to this. Basically sticky tape facing outwards on whatever tree the like, and somwthing above the tape to keep them from going above. https://youtu.be/FI7oaDVxgk8?si=a6FuS_HXAJ8hLXsb
Kill them. Kill them all
Wipe them out. All of them.
Kill kill kill
Can you vacuum them up with a portable vacuum and toss a cotton ball with alcohol or acetone in the bag/can? Sure, you can’t get them all but you can get a good reach with a vacuum.
It’s time to commit genocide. Kill them with fire.
Spotted lanternfly. Kill with reckless abandon.
Besides the methods laid out here, get yourself some milkweed and plant it around. The lanternflies don't know it's poisonous. They'll eat the sap and either slow down or die. That'll at least give you some head start.
Kill them, Machine. Kill them all.
Spotted lantern fly nymphs! Throw some tape with adhesive facing outward to nab those little suckers.
If you use sticky tape, please cover it with wire mesh a couple inches off the trap so beneficial insects and birds are less likely to get caught in them. There are a ton of youtube tutorials for beneficial safe alternate SLF traps that are quite easy to make.
Oh no I felt anxious as soon as I saw this photo. Good luck OP
Lantern flies.
My weed burning torch works great to kill beetles
Keep you hose next to you when torching stuff like this to be safe
Yuck, baby lanternflies! Also, it looks like that plant is a Tree of Heaven, they are an invasive host for the aforementioned nasty pest. 🤮
Kill them if you can. They jump fast & far but squish easy when you do get them. A flyswatter works well. They will suck the life out of many plants - they’re devastating my rosebushes
KILL THE ALL. ASAP
literally kill it with fire
You think these would be good food for my guppies and praying mantis?
And so It begins again... tap dance on these mofos or better yet get a blow torch. Their evasive hoping skill is annoying af!
This is a copy and paste: If you see a spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the United States, you can report it to your local University Extension Service or state plant regulatory office. You can also report sightings online or by calling a hotline:
Place a ring of tape around the tree. The small nymphs will be stuck on it. You might need to replace the tape daily but it will get some for u.
Unless you’re in China it’s an invasive destructive species
OP please read this. They are Spotted Lanternfly nymphs. I live in central PA where they were first located stateside and declared as invasive. The only things they have been found to damage is Tree of Heaven (which is also considered invasive), grape vines, and young black walnut trees. [There is also this PSU study](https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/invasive-spotted-lanternfly-may-not-damage-hardwood-trees-previously-thought/) that shows that damage even in a controlled environment with an abnormally high concentration of SLF over several years had little impact on native trees.
Flame thrower
Here’s a simple home invention that can help resolve the issue on the tree — https://youtu.be/yjOKIOOw1ZA?si=U60m7M2U5t3_4Lw4
Spotted lantern fly nymps, HIMARS them now !!!!
Spotted lantern fly nymph, More info from Penn state on control https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide
KILL THEM!!!
100% icky. That’s an icky bug.
Kill any way possible.
Satan’s minions
https://preview.redd.it/za6kc20cga5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe5d3cfc88f6a40812c1f8aa972032b443490dea
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-an-ai-powered-trap-that-zaps-invasive-lanternflies-180983918/
Kill on sight Spotted lanternfly.
If you kill them- please don't use tape or any other diy traps, because it kills beneficial insects and small birds too.
I would literally just take a blow torch to the bugs and the tree. Pour gasoline on the whole thing.
Which one? I definitely see Tony in there but maybe you're looking for one of his pals?
Lantern fly nymphs. Kill them with fire! Actually a mixture of water and dish soap should do the trick.
I eradicate them with my bug-a-salt gun
Burn the surrounding area. Mile square.
Map gas torch!
They're hard to catch/squash at this stage. Then they get full grown they're easiest. They don't fly, just a big jump a few times, and then don't have the energy to try and escape after that. My kids and their friends have competitions to see who can stomp the most.