Spotted lanternfly: Lycorma delicatula

The spotted lanternfly is a new pest in North America. Discovered in September 2014 in Pennsylvania, this unwelcome import has spurred the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to place six townships and two boroughs in eastern Berks County under a limited movement quarantine. The department and its federal, state, local and non-governmental cooperators are developing a strategy to eliminate this pest from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The spotted lanternfly is a plant hopper native to China, India and Vietnam, and has been introduced in South Korea and Japan. In Korea, where it was first detected in 2004, the spotted lanternfly is known to attack more than 70 species, 25 of which also occur in Pennsylvania, including cultivated grapes, fruit trees and hardwood species.

Dana Rhodes, a Plant Inspection Program Specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, says the spotted lanternfly is definitely a threat to nursery growers.

“We are noticing some similarities between it and gypsy moths,” Rhodes says. “Like gypsy moths, it lays egg masses on anything with a flat, smooth surface. That could include stone, pots for nursery growers. Things stored outside in a treeline should be reviewed and inspected to be sure you’re not moving egg masses around.”
 

The Guide

Follow these best practices in your nursery to control spotted lanternfly.

Follow the quarantine.
Any plant material moving out of the quarantine zone must be inspected. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture offers compliance agreements for nurseries to continue to do business. Visit the department’s official page about the pest here: http://bit.ly/PDAspottedLanternfly

Help out.
The Berks County communities, and local businesses operating in the area, have played a key part in Pennsylvania's response to the introduction of spotted lanternfly. Citizens have participated in one of two official volunteer programs, the egg mass scraping program and the tree banding program.

Egg masses are live and viable from about October through July. Volunteers can scrape them off of trees or smooth surfaces, double bag them and throw them in the garbage, or place the eggs in alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them. The PDA has a place on its spotted lanterfly website where volunteers can record the number of eggs masses scraped and/or destroyed.

Don’t move it yourself.
If you should find evidence of spotted lanternfly in your nursery, do not move the infested plant until you’ve talked with the experts. Dana Rhodes says the department will send a team to your location to confirm the identity of the pest and determine next steps.

Contact your local Penn State Extension office at http://extension.psu.edu/counties.

Email photographs to badbug@pa.gov. Call the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-253-7189.
 

Locations

The pest is native to China, India and Vietnam, and has been introduced in South Korea and Japan. In the U.S., it has only been found in Pennsylvania. Six townships and two boroughs in eastern Berks County are under a limited movement quarantine as the Department of Agriculture and its federal, state, local and non-governmental cooperators develop a strategy to eliminate this pest from Pennsylvania.
 

Eggs

Adults lay masses of 30 to 50 eggs, covered in a brown, mud-like substance, in late September or early October. Egg masses may be found on adult host trees, especially Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus alitissima), moderately-sized stones and other smooth surfaced outdoor items, such as lawn furniture, stone and brick work, and outdoor recreational vehicles. The egg mass poses, perhaps, the greatest risk for accidental transport of the spotted lanternfly to new areas.
 

Appearance

The first instar nymph is black with white spots and wingless. As it grows, the spotted lanternfly develops red patches in addition to the white spots. Adults at rest have a black head and grayish wings with black spots. The tips of the wings are a combination of black rectangular blocks with grey outlines. When startled or flying the spotted lanternfly will display hind wings that are red at the base and black at the tip with a white stripe dividing them. The red portion of the wing is also adorned with black spots. The abdomen is bright to pale yellow with bands of black on the top and bottom surfaces.
 

Lifecycle

In Pennsylvania, the spotted lanternfly overwinters in egg masses laid on smooth bark, stone, and other vertical surfaces. The first of four immature stages, or instars, began emerging from the egg masses in mid-May, with a few individuals that had molted to second instar nymphs by the end of May. Nymphs spread from the initial site by crawling or jumping up any woody or non-woody plant it comes across to feed. Beginning in late April to mid-May, search for the nymphs on smaller plants and vines, and any new growth on trees and shrubs.

As the year progresses third and fourth instar nymphs and adults will migrate to Tree of Heaven as a primary host. Adults can be seen as early as the middle of July, and take on a much different appearance. Egg laying begins in late September and continues through late November or early December.
 

Symptoms

Fruit trees and grapes may be more susceptible to damage and mortality when larger populations of lanternflies are found nearby.

Trees can be afflicted with weeping wounds of sap on the trunks, with heavy populations causing honey dew secretions to build up at the base of the tree, blackening the base of the tree and surrounding soil around the base with sooty mold fungal growth. Increased activity of wasps, hornets, bees, and ants can be seen feeding on honeydew secretions and at tree wounds. In large population areas, adults will also be seen feeding on other trees in the surrounding area, including willows, maples, poplars, tulip poplars, birch, ash and others.

Learn more at these sites: http://extension.psu.edu/pests/spotted-lanternfly, www.hungrypests.com/the-threat/spotted-lanternfly.php