Lanternflies 'Spotted' in North Salem

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - Horrors! 

The spotted lanternfly, bane of agricultural crops such as apples, has been spotted in North Salem.

The beautiful but much loathed pest preys on many plants and hardwood trees by piercing the bark and sucking the sap from the trunk, branches, twigs, and leaves.

This stresses the victims, leaving them vulnerable to disease and attacks from other bugs.

They also excrete a sugary substance known as “honeydew,” which attracts stinging insects and can lead to the growth of sooty mold.

This is not good news in a town that’s home to two apple orchards.

Its favorite place to hang is the tree-of-heaven, which is native to China and has become one of the most rapidly spreading invasive species in North America.

The SLF also like to chow down on grapevines, maple, walnuts, roses, and oaks.

Normally a person who is terrified of spiders but will trap them and gently release them back into “the wild,” this reporter has absolutely no qualms about dispatching the little buggers to their final reward. (I love my maple trees!)

They are very fast and hard to stomp, but I have had a lot of success nailing them with a fly swatter. (Yes, I happen to have one in my car.)

Adults start laying eggs in the early fall and persist until there’s a major freeze event. The eggs last throughout the winter. When things warm up, the whole ugly cycle begins again.

Here’s how you can fight back.

Remove its favorite host, the tree-of-heaven.

Also known as stinking sumac, Chinese sumac, varnish tree, and stink tree, its flowers have a particularly nasty smell.
Brought from China to the United States in the late 18th century as a horticultural specimen and shade tree, it was prized for its east of establishment, rapid growth, and lack of insect or disease problems. It was very popular with urban landscaping specialists.

Make or purchase a “circle trap” and install (and monitor) them on host plants (ie. tree-of-heaven.)

Glue traps should be avoided because they also kill beneficial insects and birds.

Trap them by using a vacuum with a clear, removable canister (NOT bag) to present their spread through waste management.

Dump them from the canister into a sealed bag containing rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.

SLF rarely cause damage to landscape trees, so treatment isn’t necessary for tree health.

However, if they become a nuisance, approved pesticides can be deployed.

For more information on that, visit: bit.ly/slf-pesticides.

You can also destroy lanternfly egg masses – which look like light gray splotches of mug, cement, or lichen – by scraping them into a sealed bag with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.

They are laid in rows and covered with a white, waxy substance that when dry resembles a creamy-white, putty-like coating.

That will split and fall off over time, revealing the eggs underneath.

They can be found from September through June.

If you are REALLY dedicated, you can inspect outdoor items such as furniture, vehicles, and firewood for egg masses.

And you can check all equipment and gear before leaving states that have been invaded, so as not to give the SLF a free ride to new territory.

Spritz them with a 50-50 solution of dish soap and water.

(A flame thrower wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Just kidding.)

For more information, visit www.agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.