News & Announcements
Spotted Lantern Fly…What You Need to Know!
Spotted Lanternfly Background
• Detected on September 22, 2014 in Berks County Pennsylvania.
• Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is a plant hopper, Lycorma delicatula (white) belonging to the family Fulgoridae in the order Hemiptera (true bugs).
• Makes use of over 70 different plant species, including fruit trees, ornamental trees, woody trees, vegetables, herbs and vines. Strongly prefers the invasive “Tree of Heaven”.
Damage
• Like most hemipterans, SLF feeds on plants using their sucking and piercing mouthparts to extract plant sap.
• Adults and nymphs feed on phloem tissues of young stems with their piercing and sucking mouthparts and excrete large quantities of liquid (honeydew).
• Feeding creates weeping wounds.
• Honeydew facilitates the growth of sooty mold.
• Weeping Sap attracts activity from hymenopteran such as wasps, hornets, ants, bees etc.
• Impacts quality of outdoor life for everyone.
What to Do