Spotted Lanternfly Series 1 Article 3 -- Be Aware of the Spotted Lanternfly
By Merry Bogert
Signs of Infestation, Treatment and Control Efforts
Official Guidelines for the Control of Spotted Lanternfly:
The Quarantine
This insect
pest may arrive in Burlington
County in the coming months.
Already in northern New
Jersey counties and in Pennsylvania, the
Spotted Lanternfly is likely to arrive this summer. This blog series will cover topics from
identifying the insect to how to control its spread, including limiting its
impact on county residents.
Signs of Infestation, Treatment and Control Efforts
The signs of an
active Spotted Lanternfly infestation include:
a. Seeing the egg masses themselves on
host plants or nearby surfaces.
b. Seeing
dark streaks of sap from weeping wounds on the bark of plants. (Note: the
seepage may have a sour odor due to fermentation of the sap as it oozes down
the bark.)
c. The
presence of copious sticky honeydew on and under the plants, as well as the
resulting sooty mold on leaves, fruit, and grass.
d. An
increase in activity of bees and/or wasps that are attracted to the sweet
honeydew.
e. Seeing
a large number of adults massed and actively feeding - particularly in the Fall
on Ailanthus trees.
Photo: Nancy
Bosold, Penn State Extension.
Photo: Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, bugwood.org
At all stages,
the adults and nymphs gather together to feed, and can be seen at dusk and at
night as they move up and down the trunk. During the day, they tend to hide
near the base of the plant or up in the canopy to minimize predation.
Official Guidelines for the Control of Spotted Lanternfly:
Due to
the current and recent past impact of SLF in the state of Pennsylvania, leaders
at the department of agriculture have produced several documents about the
control of this invasive, specifying both chemical and mechanical methods.
This
publication addresses mechanical controls, host tree reduction, and chemical
controls.
This
document is the final report of a large working group organized by the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and outlines potential factors that
could positively influence successful eradication of SLF, as well as factors
that could negatively impact eradication.
The Quarantine
New Jersey’s
Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher has said “The Spotted Lanternfly is an
excellent hitchhiker, with the ability to travel on all types of vehicles as
well as various landscaping, wood-based materials and agricultural produce.
It's imperative that we stop the movement of this pest before it can make an
impact on New Jersey."
To that end,
both Pennsylvania and New Jersey are partners in a quarantine program designed
to prevent transport/movement of the Spotted Lanternfly between the states and
the sixteen counties (three in New Jersey and thirteen in Pennsylvania) where
the insect has been found. The quarantines provide strict guidelines to prevent the movement of Spotted
Lanternflies at any stage.
The New Jersey
Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry “Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine
Rules” can be accessed via the following link:
