06/12/2026
Spotted Lantern Fly season...
Like any pest insect, we must be careful not to overreact and perform ecological harm ourselves. Insects are not "good or bad", they are life that has evolved. We humans are the problem in that we have relocated them to areas they are not native.
SLF has been shown to only kill Tree of Heaven, Wild/cultivated grapes, and seedlings of some trees. Healthy plants tolerate their feeding. They to do not bite or sting us, and carry no disease. In the early instar stages, their piecing, sucking mouthparts need softer tissue, so we will see them on new growth of trees and on many perennials. Remember, that 90% of the SLF are in the canopy of trees, so you are only seeing a small percentage.
In the absence of Tree of Heaven, about 25% survive to an egg laying adult. If Tree of Heaven is within their feeding range, survival increases to about 50%. I tend to wait and squish the adults. I do not use sprays of any kind.
There have been a year, when I did a survey on my 1/3rd acre, and counted 3,200 SLF in my garden from 8 feet and down. I have hundreds of species of plants in my landscape. Nothing died or appeared stressed.
The only people who should use pesticides are those growing grapes. This is where the real risk is. The rest of us can squish or use circular traps (NOT sticky tape)-check out Penn State Extension references for more information and control.
SLF is here and will stay (much like Japanese beetles). Some years will be worse than others.
The best thing we can do is remove ALL Tree of Heaven and NOT cause ecologic harm with sprays and soaps, etc. Good luck.
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide
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