Adult spotted lanternflies feed on tree sap. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The spotted lanternfly, a sap-feeding planthopper native to Asia, was first found in the United States in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It has since turned up in Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia. On September 28, 2021, Massachusetts confirmed a small breeding population in Fitchburg.
A hitchhiker
The insects probably arrived as egg masses, laid in hard-to-see places and moved unknowingly. They fly poorly and travel only a few miles in a lifetime, walking, jumping and flying — people move them long distances.
One generation a year
| Stage | When | Looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | October to June | rows covered in a white coating that dries pinkish-gray to tan, like dry mud; 30–60 eggs per mass |
| 1st–3rd instar nymphs | May to July | black with white spots, about ¼ inch |
| 4th instar nymph | July to September | red with white spots, up to ¾ inch |
| Adults | July to December | about 1 inch; black-spotted, pinkish-tan wings folded like a tent, flashing red, white and black underwings when startled |
Both sexes have yellow, black-striped abdomens; a mated female's swells. Mating comes in late August, egg-laying from September to November.
The damage
Lanternflies tap trees and vines for sap and excrete sugary honeydew, which draws bees and wasps and grows sooty mold that weakens plants. More than 100 species of trees and vines can host them, including apple, birch, black walnut, grapes, hops, lilac, maple, stone fruits, sycamore, willow and Virginia creeper. In Pennsylvania they have cost grape, fruit, nursery and timber growers millions of dollars.
Tree of heaven, a widespread invasive, lines a road. It is the lanternfly's favorite host. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Their favorite host is the invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which grows almost anywhere — along roadsides especially — and spreads fast, speeding the lanternfly's spread.
What you can do
Lanternflies hitch rides on vehicles. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Check vehicles and gear for hitchhikers after traveling through infested areas.
- Report sightings and egg masses — in Massachusetts, to the Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project.
- Squish nymphs and adults, or trap them in a bag or bottle held over them: they usually jump right in. If you spot it, swat it.
Sources
Based on Kristin Vinduska, "On a Squishin' Mission: The Fight Against Spotted Lanternflies," Cape Cod National Seashore, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The source lists highbush blueberry as Vaccinium angustifolium, the lowbush species. A life-cycle graphic from New York State Integrated Pest Management is not reproduced.
In these publicationsCape Cod National Seashore
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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