In case the spotted lanternfly topic hasn't come up..........

Bastages were all over my maple trees last summer/fall.
 
My daughter lives near ground zero. Last summer was miserable. Couldn’t sit outside after work for weeks. Her neighbor was pulling 200-300 of them out of his swimming pool filter every day. Went on for weeks. Rest of region doesn’t know what’s about to hit them.
 
What characteristics are so annoying that they prevent people from sitting outside? I have not heard that they bite, sting, or get in one's eyes. I assume that I will get some exposure to them soon enough while doing fieldwork, but I'm also weighing them against black flies (some species known as gnats), mosquitoes, horse flies, and deer flies.
 
I have certainly never seen that little critter in my life. Invasive species are a huge problem but in a world so connected by globalization the spread of these critters and an overall less diverse world is only going to continue to occur. Maybe a bunch of them will end up blowing into our waters and before you know it we will be posing pictures of our lanternfly patterns.
 
Mike wrote:
What characteristics are so annoying that they prevent people from sitting outside? I have not heard that they bite, sting, or get in one's eyes.
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Neither do caddis or mayflies, but I still wouldn't want to sit in a swarm of them when I wasn't fishing.
 
That's a good point, but I have not heard that they swarm either, so I am still curious to learn the specific obnoxious behavioral characteristic that is associated with the lanternflies that limits outdoor enjoyment.
 
While they look something like a moth, I would describe their bodies/legs as more like a grasshopper. I use the term "gymnastic" to describe them. Constantly on the move, it's like having a grasshopper land on you, then spring off of you. Only way she and boyfriend could sit outside (temporarily) was to remove the filter from their shop vac, place a few inches of alcohol in the container, and vacuum them from the patio and surrounding area.
 
I watched a few videos on YouTube and I can certainly see how they would be highly annoying. Penn State has a pretty good (although rather bland) 20 minute long video on identification tips and ideas to help control them.
 
They thrive on Ailanthus aka Tree of Heaven. I found and reported them on the Berks/Lancaster border last fall during archery season and found them on the Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve and killed as many of them as I could before they hopped off or climbed up out of my reach. I also identified numerous egg masses and destroyed those as well.
Do your homework to identify the insect, their eggs, and their preferred habitat tree Ailanthus.
 
Friends of ours own a small farm near Kutztown. Some county agents came by to inspect a cluster of trees our friends always thought were sumac. Turns out the cluster was Ailanthus and loaded with Lanternflies. They were all cut down and burned. It's possible researchers will identify the attraction to Ailanthus and learn how to imitate the appearance/scent of Ailanthus. Or maybe identify and imitate the sexual attractant in a manner similar to Japanese Beetle traps. Research is in early stages per county agent we spoke to.

 
Mike,

SLF discharges a liquid (Honey Dew) while they are feeding. If in high numbers its like its raining. And yes, they do swarm. So besides high concentrations of SLF, the honey dew is a bit disgusting if you ask me. Thankfully Green Drakes don't discharge any liquids.

Also, kill the suckers if you see them. On a side note, I found that trout are fond of them when throw in a stream. Start tying those SLF patterns.
 
It would be so simple if the Ailanthus was the only target.

The critters lay their egg clusters on any smooth bark tree and even on other smooth surfaces like BB-Q grills, lawn furniture and cardboard.

I live in the second area that was quarantined after District & Pike Townships in Berks several years ago. They were particularity bad last year and several local orchards & wineries are expecting to go out of business in a few years if it continues to spiral out of control.

The sad part is when I went to community meetings two years ago the Penn State and PA Agriculture Department folks were patting themselves on the back for containing the problem within 5 or 6 townships in Berks.

So much for that...
 
Bamboozle wrote:
It would be so simple if the Ailanthus was the only target.

The critters lay their egg clusters on any smooth bark tree and even on other smooth surfaces like BB-Q grills, lawn furniture and cardboard.

I live in the second area that was quarantined after District & Pike Townships in Berks several years ago. They were particularity bad last year and several local orchards & wineries are expecting to go out of business in a few years if it continues to spiral out of control.

The sad part is when I went to community meetings two years ago the Penn State and PA Agriculture Department folks were patting themselves on the back for containing the problem within 5 or 6 townships in Berks.

So much for that...
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I am in the wine Industry. Clover Hill isn't going anywhere. Just because their Vines may be suffering from lanternflies doesn't mean they are going out of business. Maybe changing, yes, but not going out
 
One thing about the ailanthus tree is that SLF must feed on that at some point in its life cycle (in think the adult stage?) to be able to reproduce. So controlling the ailanthus tree may help in controlling SLF. Treating ailanthus trees with a systemic will also kill SLF. There is a lot of info out there about methods one can use.
 
The problem with eradicating the ailanthus tree is what will they attack next?

My property contains 5 acres of woods. I have zero ailanthus as far as I know (I had Penn State folks out to my property) yet they were flying around everywhere last summer.

I saw thousands flying out of a soybean field last year...!!

We all hoped the cold winter would help too and that didn't work.

Controlling these pests is a work in progress and anybody who thinks they know the answer at this stage is only fooling themselves.
 
One method of control I read about was to remove all Ailanthus trees but one, then treat the "bait" tree with the systemic insecticide.
But as many of you may already know, Ailanthus is a particularly hard tree to eradicate.
 
None of it matters. There is no 'controlling' them anymore than you can control the Emerald Ash Borer cause the extinction of the American Ash Tree. They're here to stay and there isn't anything that anyone can do about it. Just have to learn to live with them.
 
Zak - emerald ash borer will eradicate itself once all the ash trees are gone. DCNR has prepared to re-introduce Ash trees to the forest once the EAB has run its course. SLF is entirely different. It is very unlikely to be eradicated but more or less controlled....hopefully.

Someone above mentioned the "trap tree" method. Yes, this has been proven to kill many, if not thousands, of SLF. The trick is controlling the ailanthus tree, which is difficult. Must treat the stumps immediately after cutting them down. SLF needs to feed on ailanthus at some point during the adult stage to be able to reproduce.
 
LehighRegular wrote:
The trick is controlling the ailanthus tree, which is difficult.
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Several have said this, so I am not singling you out

but...

Must treat the stumps immediately after cutting them down.
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I was thinking the same thing. But how is that difficult?

Ailanthus tree are not common here.

Systemics are bad for other insects. I'll bet bees like Ailanthus as well, but it sounds necessary. And since Ailanthus are not all that common, it is probably worth it.

The problem with Emerald Ash Borer is, do we know it won't adapt to other trees? So far I don't think it has. It killed all my Ash trees, but everything else looks fine. Bumper crop of woodpeckers this year. ;-)

Same can be said with this new threat. What's the likelihood it could adapt to other trees or bushes?
 
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