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

I read an article about them in the Lancaster Newspaper today. It said that they will eat just about any plant and they rapidly multiply so they are very destructive.
 
From Wikipedia:

2) Removing/killing Ailanthus altissima trees (Chinese Sumac or Tree of Heaven) saving only male individuals to use as "trap" trees, since the spotted lanternfly requires a meal from this tree before laying eggs.

If that last phrase is true, then decimation of ailanthus would mean decimation of the spotted lanternflies.

And I think it would be possible to drastically reduce the amount of ailanthus to very low levels, in a few years.
 
Troutbert, the only problem with drastically reducing the amount of ailanthus is that many people cannot identify it from sumac or even black walnut.

Ailanthus grows rampantly all around Lancaster in mildly disturbed areas. Every time the state cuts along the highway or a development trims back a riparian or natural area they may cut 1 down but 10 more grow up from the stump and roots which is why you must treat it immediately after cutting.

 
Ailanthus is quite common along the highways in the greater williamsport area. It would take a very organized effort to make a dent in the number of trees. I am not aware of any cases of lantern flies here (yet).
 
The quotes below are from Penn State Extension who along with the PA Department of Agriculture are at the forefront of the battle against SLF in Pennsylvania.

Also, don't be so sure what you see and believe is Tree of Heaven isn't Sumac. I made the same subsumption on my property until the Penn State Extension folks straightened me out.

"Adult Spotted Lanternflies begin emerging in early August. The female lanternflies are not reproductively mature at emergence. It is believed that they must feed on the Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) at some point in order to complete the life cycle. However, it is important to understand that the number of hosts on which the insect can complete its life cycle is unknown at this time.

Management strategies are needed to slow its spread to other regional fruit growing centers and to provide fruit growers with timely management tactics. This phloem-feeding Asian-native insect feeds upon over 65 species of plants and as such, is projected to become a serious pest of timber, ornamental trees, tree fruit orchards, grapes, stone fruit, and other small fruits such as blueberries. It can kill hops and feeds on several types of vegetables. SLF honeydew (sugary SLF excrement) and sooty mold (growing on honeydew) damage were found in vineyards in 2016, only two years after first detection.

In 2017, extensive sooty mold growth was observed on and around forest trees, such as tree of heaven, willow, and maples, and blackening of adjacent plants in the forest understory. Black walnut feeding caused yellowing and shocked trees into a general decline. SLF spread to more vineyards in 2017, reducing yield in one, and having as yet unknown long term effects on health of grapevines.

In late August, for the first time, large numbers of SLF were observed flying into and feeding on the trunks and branches of apple trees as well as nectarines and peaches. Immediate damage to tree fruit was not observed by the immigrating adults, but SLF egg cases found on the trees put the trees at risk for heavier and more sustained feeding by SLF nymphs and adults in Spring 2018. As an invasive pest in South Korea, SLF spread rapidly and caused significant wilting, dieback and mortality of grape vines and spread throughout the country in only 3 years".
 
Unfortunately that isn't necessarily true about EAB LehighRegular. There has already been at least 1 documented case showing that when all preferred hosts are gone (Ash species) a very small minority of EAB, in one documents location, used Black Walnut as a host. Whether they successfully killed the trees I don't know. Efforts to replicate this in controlled test settings have not been successful however and the EAB has died as you mentioned. So maybe it's just a one time occurance with the Black Walnut. But the thought that it's a sure thing they wont move or adjust to a new host is far from a sure thing. It's the hope. It will take 100+ years for every ash to be gone anyhow so as far as all of our lives are concerned....they are here to stay and a part of our lives forever.
 
Here is a recent article in the New York Times about SLP.

It just so happens the author used one of my photos for the piece. Toot!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/21/science/lanternflies-pennsylvania-crops.html
 
All of my Ash trees are dead or dying, and the EAB has only been here a few years. I wouldn't have expected this big of an impact in such a short time. But the woodpeckers are loving it. Fortunately I didn't have a lot of ash trees outside of one small area.

Now this spotted lantern bug really sucks.

Ohio should build a wall and make PA pay for it. (dorry, couldn't resist).

As far as telling Ailanthus from sumac or black walnut, I can't imagine that being all that difficult to teach. A 5 minute lecture, or maybe just a simple illustrated pamphlet should be enough.

And if a few (or few thousand) sumac die in the process, oh well.

 
troutbert wrote:
From Wikipedia:

2) Removing/killing Ailanthus altissima trees (Chinese Sumac or Tree of Heaven) saving only male individuals to use as "trap" trees, since the spotted lanternfly requires a meal from this tree before laying eggs.

If that last phrase is true, then decimation of ailanthus would mean decimation of the spotted lanternflies.

And I think it would be possible to drastically reduce the amount of ailanthus to very low levels, in a few years.
Click to expand...

You clearly have not done battle with ailanthus. I can't eradicate it from the 1.5 acres I own..

Unfortunately, once invasives arrive, they're pretty much here to stay. Heck, most of us fish for them (salmo trutta). Gypsy moths? Multi-flora rose? Bamboo? Crown vetch? Ash borers? Wooly adelgid? We haven't been real effective at eradicating any of them. Latest plant that seems to be on a tear is poison hemlock. You turn the dial on an invasive and there may be dire consequences somewhere else. Something introduced to kill a pest may in turn kill beneficial organisms. It's like the old woman who swallowed a fly..
 
News from the front lines:

http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/penn-state-experiment-aims-to-eliminate-spotted-lanternfly/749728142
 
What techniques have any of yinz tried to combat ailanthus?

And what has worked well, and what not so well?


 
Latest local article to appear about the Spotted Lantern Fly >

http://montco.today/2018/09/spotted-lanternfly-went-from-a-few-municipalities-to-13-counties-posing-multibillion-dollar-threat/
 
Another recent article and video about the SLF:

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/phoenixville/invasive-spotted-lanternfly-now-calls-phoenixville-home

 

Saw my first couple of Lanternflies yesterday. Those things are fast and not that east to kill. I live close to Marsh Creek Reservoir and this was the report from a local fishing site:

LANTERNFLIES have invaded the lake (Marsh Creek Reservoir). They are everywhere. A big gust of wind came and blew a bunch right out of the trees and into the water and the fish had a feeding frenzy. It was incredible. Besides the bad news for the trees is that they land on your boat, your gear...even had a few land on me. And, when they hit the water they can't get out. The surface is covered with them.

I've heard the same reports from several other SEPA sites. Hopefully the insect is not near as threatening to the flora as advertised, because they sure are prolific and no doubt coming your way...
 
Over the last couple of weeks, it went from a spotty occurrence to see one to me having dozens on my deck and siding at any one time. Morgantown, SE Berks Co. They like to bunch up in clusters in corners. I've sprayed insecticide in those areas and I have many dead ones on my deck now that I need to sweep off.

I was in downtown Reading on Monday. They were using mini street sweepers to suck them up. Sidewalks were covered in them.
 
https://www.facebook.com/100001243348321/posts/1998402576877834/
 
afishinado wrote:
Those things are fast and not that easy to kill.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to make the most of the situation and am actually getting pretty good at Lanternfly Wiffleball. It's a lot harder than the lightning bug wiffleball I played as a kid.
 
Near Bally my daughter cleared her deck with her shop vac. A few inches of alcohol in the drum. There were 200 on the grill cover alone.
 
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