Devastating pest: The spotted lanternfly

By HUGH G. EARNHART

OSU Extension master gardener volunteer

CANFIELD

Our neighbor to the east – Pennsylvania – has a new, invasive pest that is a threat to the dominance of American horticulture. As international travel and trade increases, the importation of insects and diseases from foreign lands of the world also expands. Now it is the spotted lanternfly.

The spotted lanternfly is not the first agricultural terrorist to invade the U.S. In years past. There was the hemlock wooly adelgid, emerald ash borer, thousand canker disease, brown stick bug, and the Asia long homed beetle. Earlier in the 20th century, many of us remember the assault of chestnut blight and that of Dutch elm disease.

Native to southeast Asia, the spotted lanternfly was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pa., in 2014. This insect has since spread to 13 counties in and around the Philadelphia area. It has also been located in New Jersey and Virginia. Most recently, it was found in four counties in New York, including the Rochester area.

This plant hopper is from the order Hemipteran, like our native cicadas, aphids and leafhoppers. In the first three stages of life, the nymphs are black with white spots, hard to recognize and resemble ants. In the fourth state of their existence, they are easy to identify with spotted wings and red coloration.

These invaders like to feed on sap from a wide range of plants, hardwood trees, fruit trees and hops. They have a voracious appetite for walnut trees and grape vines. For a second choice, most any hardwood trees and pine trees will do. Nursery material will also be under attack by this insurgent.

When feeding on plant and tree sap, the insect weakens the plant structure and leaves behind a sugary excrement called honeydew, which promotes the growth of sooty mold. This sooty mold is named accordingly, as it looks as if the plant has been covered in dark soot.

This critter feeds through a straw-like mouth part called a proboscis located between the two front legs. They do not bite, chew, sting or cause structural damage to your house. They can fly well in a climbing manner similar to a moth.

They like to hitchhike on vehicles, so check windshields, wipers, wheel wells and such for egg masses and the adult invader if you travel to infested areas. Be a good detective. We have no use for the spotted lanternfly. We don’t want them, so kill them before they become deleterious to the American horticulture economy. Remember the emerald ash borer damage. This could be even worse.

To see photos and learn more about this invasive pest, visit http://go.osu.edu/lanternfly