The movement of these materials to new areas aids this sneaky insect in gaining new ground - seemingly in the same style as a Trojan horse. The egg masses are about an inch in size and look like mud or cement splattered on surfaces of just about anything, such as trees, rocks, bricks, firewood, patio furniture, vehicles, potted plants that were outside soaking up the sun during the warmer months, etc. In their lifetime, an adult female spotted lanternfly lays one or two egg masses around September to November, each containing upwards of 30 eggs. But the time is right now, and we must stay vigilant for years to come. Although their population will inevitably explode, and we will lose plant life due to these pests, we can help slow them down and minimize their destructive presence. Their return will be in exponentially more significant numbers than we have yet to see in our area, and it's only a matter of time before we start witnessing the damage their voracious appetites can have on the plants they eat. The answer is "no," they are simply waiting out the season until the eggs hatch, and the cycle starts all over again. "So are we done with the spotted lanternfly?" was a common question park users asked as we collected the traps in December. These observations have clued us to where we will focus more of our time this winter scouting for eggs.ĭuring this time of year, while the eggs are the only living life stage of SLF, the traps are taken down to prevent damage from winter weather. For example, traps in some parks, such as Frick, McKinley, and Schenley, captured none or only one adult, while the two traps in August Wilson Park captured well over a hundred adults by the first frost. The unwitting leaf hopper makes its way forward up the tree, following the tapering funnel into the plastic bag, where it cannot turn around and escape.Īlthough these traps are not intended to eradicate spotted lanternflies completely, they provide a glimpse of the populations in their immediate areas and reduce them somewhat. These odd-looking contraptions consist of a mesh funnel with the larger end facing downwards and the smaller end tapering into a closed plastic bag. With each egg bust, you’ll know you’ve killed at least 30 to 50 future spotted lanternflies.After training with the PA Department of Agriculture this summer, the Horticulture and Forestry team set up SLF traps in the previously mentioned parks and Frick Park and McKinley Park, primarily placed on the SLF's preferred host plant. Otherwise, some of those nymphs may still grow up to terrorize our wine and beer industry. You’ll need to see tiny eggs, plus maybe some juices, spill out, to know you’ve finished the job. To rid our state of the pests, simply take a plastic card of your choice - your license, a debit or credit card, maybe even a firm business card, and scrape it overtop the egg mass. Since they’re prenatal, they won’t fight back - or walk, jump or fly away. Killing the lanternfly larvae is far easier than much of your past bug-destroying experience. If we smash the eggs before the become grown-up lanternflies, then we’ll save the plants in our state a huge headache. The fleet started laying eggs in September - and in May, they’ll start to hatch. The pests are relevant now because they’re about to make their springtime resurgence.
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