#Max lantern bugs full#

They’re quick, mobile and excellent hitchhikers.” “Although they prefer the tree of heaven, they can feed on many different things. One possible sign of good news: the spotted lanternfly probably won’t kill your majestic trees, as “there have been no reported incidents of mature tree death,” said Kunkel.īut completely eradicating them will be unlikely, he added. Spotted lanternflies are excellent hitchhikers - but the problem isn’t going anywhere. So beware: spotted lanternfly feeding attracts flies, ants and stinging insects that eat the sugars found in the honeydew.ĥ. “But if their hive is dangling from your deck, then that’s another problem.” “Yellowjackets are a gardener’s best friend because they pick out the caterpillars,” said Kunkel. Such cheap, easy energy inevitably attracts other insects, such as yellowjackets, hornets and wasps. Spotted lanternfly excrement, otherwise known as honeydew, contains high concentrations of sugar.

“Any way we can manage it without using pesticides would be better,” said Kunkel. The research team has also started projects focused on the spotted lanternfly, studying two natural enemies that help keep the lanternfly from being abundant in China, its native home.Īfter extensive evaluation, and if shown to be host-specific (meaning they will not attack other native North American insects), and if granted regulatory permission, the enemy insects could eventually be released to fight lanternfly. They have found foes for the stinkbug and are currently working to combat the emerald ash borer. One possible non-pesticide solution is to find the insect’s natural enemies.Īt the USDA Beneficial Insect Research Lab, located right on campus, researchers are rearing natural enemies for exotic invasive pests. Scientists are helping rear natural predators. “So how do you balance that? Awareness of this challenge is a valuable tool - but it makes things more complicated.”ģ. “You want to protect pollinators, but our most effective tool right now is a systemic that has potential impacts on them,” he said. Responsible use of systemics is therefore critical, which is why Kunkel recommends applying insecticides after trees and nearby plants have flowered.

“We want to limit the root uptake of these insecticides in flowering plants because residues may get into flowers, and we need to minimize bee and pollinator exposure to neonicotinoids whenever possible.”

#Max lantern bugs full#

“Caution should be used near flower-producing plants,” said Kunkel, explaining that researchers are still trying to understand the full impact of neonicotinoids. Unfortunately, more research is needed to determine their potential impact on pollinators. Such products - usually sprayed around the base of a tree - can last for months and kill thousands of nuisance insects, he added. Neonicotinoids, or “systemic” insecticides, are currently the most effective tool to kill the spotted lanternfly, said Kunkel. There’s no easy “pest management” solution… yet. But the most effective solution (so far) requires systemic insecticides.Ģ. He also dissuades spraying any dish soap mixture on trees, as they can burn the leaves.Īs an alternative, Kunkel suggests spraying Neem oil, which can help. If using banding tape around trees, then Kunkel recommends using narrower bands or bands with a wire mesh over them to reduce the likelihood of “collateral capture” of other small mammals and birds. With eyes on the sides of their heads, they are quick to evade a fatal stomp. In mid-summer, they turn red (still with white polka dots), and by August, most have morphed into their winged adult stage.īut “they’re fast little suckers,” as Kunkel puts it. Their coating is black, with white polka dots, and as they grow, they split along their back and crawl out into a new life stage.

With eggs laid from September to mid-November, the insects hatch in early spring. Instead, it is known as a “hopper” and grows its wings only in the adult stage. Often mistaken for ticks (as babies) or moths (as adults), the spotted lanternfly is neither. They can be hard to spot - and harder to kill. Now, as late summer approaches and as the insects mature and multiply, the University of Delaware's resident spotted lanternfly expert Brian Kunkel, extension specialist II in Cooperative Extension, offers five important things to know about these pests:ġ. It seems one of the few remaining facts on which we can all agree: These bugs are bad - bad for our backyards, our native ecosystem and our economy.Īn invasive pest with a healthy appetite for plants like grapevines, hops and other fruit crops and trees, the spotted lanternfly feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees, piercing the plant stems and tree bark, thus depleting the plant’s energy reserves and costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost agriculture.