Captured a spotted lanternfly

[timmyt]

In my yard. Bucks county, Chalfont.

I thought i saw one of these SOBs the other week out back but i couldnt grab him. Today i happened to have bags as i was picking up dog doo and grabbed the sucker.

I called the invasive species hotline and left a message. What else should i do? Head between knees and kiss rear bye?

There was only two places in Bucks where they were known to be based on the PSU website i was looking at but it appeared outdated by a bit.

 

[Swattie87]

I saw one the other day too. SE Berks County, where they’re known to be. I think Berks was the ground zero for PA.

I did like ya do when ya catch a Brownie in a Gemmie stream...Bonk it! ;-)

 

[PALongbow]

I'm covered up with them in Southern Berks County. Called the hotline and reported it.

Ron

 

[jifigz]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is no stopping invasive insects. We've tried before and failed. Honestly it seems like generally they spread and then cause less problems than our worst fears initially imagined. It is only a matter of time before they are all over the state. Now, I'm not saying to give up on this and encourage their spread, but I truly believe that it is impossible to stop.

 

[dc410]

I agree that they are not going to be stopped. The rate of spread of them is going to totally blow away the time involved in the research that is required to find a proven method of control for the species. This is the time of year that the adults start to become evident. You will see much more on the news about them in the next few months as the adults, swarm, mate and lay eggs for next years brood. The first frost kills the adults but the eggs have been laid at that point. If you see ‘em - smash ‘em, if your quick enough. Secretly I’m hoping that they can’t deal with rainy weather during their instar stages, if that is the case this year may have been the saving grace.

 

[jifigz]

dc410 wrote:
I agree that they are not going to be stopped. The rate of spread of them is going to totally blow away the time involved in the research that is required to find a proven method of control for the species. This is the time of year that the adults start to become evident. You will see much more on the news about them in the next few months as the adults, swarm, mate and lay eggs for next years brood. The first frost kills the adults but the eggs have been laid at that point. If you see ‘em - smash ‘em, if your quick enough. Secretly I’m hoping that they can’t deal with rainy weather during their instar stages, if that is the case this year may have been the saving grace.

I like where your head is but I'm skeptical of your wishful thinking. I see them as just another reason to spend time on big water where they won't be hopping all over the place.

 

[FarmerDave]

jifigz wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is no stopping invasive insects. We've tried before and failed. Honestly it seems like generally they spread and then cause less problems than our worst fears initially imagined. It is only a matter of time before they are all over the state. Now, I'm not saying to give up on this and encourage their spread, but I truly believe that it is impossible to stop.

This seems to be true in the vast majority of cases, if not all.

What seems to happen is they are initially very prolific and spread fast. Then mother nature eventually adjusts which slows them down and they become just another pest.

I'm not saying we shouldn't try to slow them down, too. I'm just saying the sky hasn't fallen.

 

[Smike]

They are all over Montgomery and Bucks Co now. Ya probably not much to do in terms of stopping it, but they need to look into how to counter it.

As for the ‘sky is not falling’, that may be true with the Latern fly, however the worst case came true with the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Complete loss of Ash trees. Just drive around SE PA and you will see all the dead Ash mixed in with other unaffected tress. The hope is this Ash Borer will die off with the Ash, if it mutates (not likely) to target another tree species, then we could be looking at another round of major tree loss.

 

[CLSports]

I saw a beetle that was black and red with white spots last weekend. I did not realize until I Googled it that it was a nymph stage of the Lantern Fly. I had only seen the adults previously.

Laternfly life stages

 

[FarmerDave]

Smike wrote:
They are all over Montgomery and Bucks Co now. Ya probably not much to do in terms of stopping it, but they need to look into how to counter it.

As for the ‘sky is not falling’, that may be true with the Latern fly, however the worst case came true with the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Complete loss of Ash trees. Just drive around SE PA and you will see all the dead Ash mixed in with other unaffected tress. The hope is this Ash Borer will die off with the Ash, if it mutates (not likely) to target another tree species, then we could be looking at another round of major tree loss.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a big problem, and i was going to list that as an exception. But mother mature might be able to handle that, as well. It first arrived here a couple years ago and all of my ash trees have been affected. I suspect that I will lose them all.

But once the beetles run their course, and assuming they won't start working other trees, the ash trees might come back on their own from seed or roots. Or could be reintroduced. I am pretty sure that American Chestnut can still be found growing from old roots and that blight started over 100 years ago. I had some in my back yard when I still lived in PA. Stump was gone, but I still had small chestnut trees growing from the roots. I believe there are also some isolated populations not effected.

Hopefully the EAB won't develop a taste for other trees, and I am not all that optimistic that they won't.

I have noticed a lot more woodpeckers around this year and they are tearing up the Ash trees.

 

[troutbert]

FarmerDave wrote:

I am pretty sure that American Chestnut can still be found growing from old roots and that blight started over 100 years ago. I had some in my back yard when I still lived in PA. Stump was gone, but I still had small chestnut trees growing from the roots. I believe there are also some isolated populations not effected.

Stump sprouts are still common in NC PA. There are lots of them in Sproul State Forest in Clinton and Centre Counties.

But they just get to the sapling stage, then the blight hits them.

 

[jifigz]

Yes all of the ash trees around me are dead too. The lanternfly will slowly spread and destroy things. They are bad for vineyards and that is most certainly bad for me and my living, but we will take them as they come and figure it out. I'm sure the EAB, the lanternfly, the woolly adelgid, and other invasives like fish that we often reference here will go the way of the gypsy moth. Yes, they will be here to stay but after being here for a while I believe nature/man will balance it out.

 

[Mike]

Surprised that the dish detergent/water combo as an effective spray has not been mentioned. One-quarter cup detergent per gal of water. Not sure if it work on the adults because I saw the article when the bugs were in nymph stage, which will soon end.

I did find that they are easier to catch by just gradually cupping your hand over them. They jump when swatted at, but a slow lowering of the hand from behind fakes them out.

Saw an arched branch of a shrub spanning an unnamed trib to the Schuylkill near Gibralter the other day that must have had 100-150 nymphs lined up on it.

 

[Bamboozle]

I spray the adults with 90% Isopropyl alcohol which I buy in the "economy size" at Wal-Mart and just replace the regular cap with a sprayer.

Detergent & water which works great on stink bugs only makes the Spotted Lanternfly jump/fly away because the effect isn't immediate.

If you hit them with a direct blast of alcohol they don't budge which give you a chance to follow up with a soaking that pretty much does them in.

 

[polky]

I live in Rockland Twp, close to where this all began and I have not seen one sign of them this year. No nymphs, either stage, nor adults.

 

[FarmerDave]

troutbert wrote:

FarmerDave wrote:

I am pretty sure that American Chestnut can still be found growing from old roots and that blight started over 100 years ago. I had some in my back yard when I still lived in PA. Stump was gone, but I still had small chestnut trees growing from the roots. I believe there are also some isolated populations not effected.

Stump sprouts are still common in NC PA. There are lots of them in Sproul State Forest in Clinton and Centre Counties.

But they just get to the sapling stage, then the blight hits them.

Thanks for confirming that, and that was my observation as well. About the time they are big enough to produce nuts, blight would kill them.

My point was that with the Ash trees, it is being killed off by a specialized insect. If the bug doesn't adapt to eating other things the bugs will die off and Ash trees will be allowed to re-establish.

Sad that this is probably a best case at this point.

 

[afishinado]

Below is a link to recent report from SE PA on the SLF and embedded is a fairly extensive informational video from PSU.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Spotted-Lanternfly-Bugging-Berks-County-Farmers_Philadelphia-457828823.html?t=97

 

[Zak]

I'm glad that thus far in extremely eastern Northampton County I have yet to get any of the pests that are plaguing the state. I've got a large glorious white Ash tree in my yard that is model of health and shade. Our Hemlocks are robust and healthy, and we don't have any Lantern bucks yet. First to arrive is the Ash Bored and I expect to start to see my ash showing infection literally any day. If not this year then next year branches wont foliate. Literally 5 miles down the road from my house every ash tree is dead or dying. Rarely a day goes by when I don't look up at that Ash tree with a bit of sadness inside. Such a sad thing and it will be centuries before the ash trees ever even remotely have a chance to repopulate, if ever at all. It's going to take an eternity for all the ash trees to disappear and the ash tree along with it and the longer it takes the more likely Ash Borers are to become walnut borers which has already happening in one documented case in Wis. I'm sure I'll have Lantern bugs within 2 years. Whooly's are on Hemlocks in Sch County so they'll be here before too long also. Sad.

 

[LehighRegular]

There has been a lot of "treatment" work going on in the "core zone" (District, Pike & Rockland Twps) of Berks County. Very low population numbers are being reported this year. Not sure if there was a population collapse or if the treatments are working in that area. Its something to be investigated to determine control methods of this invasive insect.

Don't think we will ever eradicate the insect, but there are ways it can be controlled.

 

[outsider]

I live in West Lawn, Berks County and saw my first lantern fly, on my porch 5 minutes ago