Spotted lanternflies pose threat for homeowners, gardeners
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CRANBERRY TWP — Butler County residents have a new invader to face in their gardens and plant beds.
The spotted lanternfly, a brown-and-red-winged leaf-hopping insect, is an invasive species across much of the country. The bug has been found in Pennsylvania since 2014, and was first sighted on the eastern side of the state in Berks County, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
While Butler County is not on the list of “quarantined” states where large populations of spotted lanternflies have been found, the insects have still been sighted in the county, where they can pose a risk to plants and a nuisance to homeowners.
“In the adult form, (the spotted lanternfly) has a proboscis, a mouth part that pierces into a plant and sucks out the juices or sugary sap from a plant,” explained Glen Bupp, commercial horticulture educator at the Penn State Extension in Butler County. “That’s actually how it does the damage that it does to plants, through first causing a nutrient deficiency in the plant, weakening the plant, especially when swarms are landing on an individual plant.”
The spotted lanternfly also excretes a substance called honeydew, which can cause problems of its own, Bupp said.
“That honeydew, when it lands on surfaces, it’s slippery, so it can be a hazard to homeowners, if a tree limb is over a deck,” he said. “That sugary substance can cause mold growth, specifically, a mold called sooty mold. It’s not the same type of mold that’s inside of your home or bread mold; it’s not dangerous to people, but a lot of times people will notice the sooty mold first.”
Sooty mold can harm plants by covering leaves, preventing them from photosynthesizing and gaining nutrients.
“It’s not as much of a problem for humans other than aesthetic problems, but it is a problem for plants, because it reduces its ability to produce food for itself,” Bupp said. “(The) primary damage is more from the feeding itself, but you’ve got a compounded effect between the two.”
Both agricultural crops and ornamental plants are at risk from the spotted lanternfly, Bupp said.
“It has a preference for things like grapevines and apples, so that’s a concern for the agricultural community,” he said. “(Also, it likes) some of our ornamental trees. A regular homeowner would be concerned with something like their beautiful maple tree in their front yard. That would be a location that the spotted lanternfly would be happy to be in.”
The spotted lanternfly has a known relationship with another invasive species in Pennsylvania, the Tree of Heaven plant, Bupp explained.
“It’s a roadside weed, found along railroad tracks and the I-76 corridor,” he said. “There is a close relationship with that Tree of Heaven as a host for this insect. That is one plant that it definitely likes, and one way it can get around. You’ve got this invasive species along our main traveled corridors, roadways, and highways.”
State quarantine zone regulations require businesses to have a permit if they move regulated articles, such as landscaping waste, pallets or outdoor household items, in or out of the quarantine zone.
“Where we are first starting to see populations of it is in more urban areas,” Bupp said. “People are the primary movers of this insect right now. It's not a particularly great flier. One of the main concerns is people moving something that they may have brought, like a camper trailer, if you go on a camping trip in one of these areas where there are high populations on the eastern side of the state, you might be bringing that home.”
Bupp advised people to keep their car windows closed while parking for long periods of time, and to check the inside of their vehicles for the bugs before setting off if they’ve traveled within the quarantine zone.
“In areas where it’s new, you should report them,” Bupp said. “In Butler County, you should report them if you see them for sure, because that’s not a quarantined county at the moment.”
If you see a spotted lanternfly, you can kill it by stepping on it, Bupp said. Egg masses sighted on trees can be scraped off with a credit card or other similar object. Bupp advised that people should not try to use pesticides or homemade chemicals to deal with the bugs.
“There have been some issues with people mishandling chemicals in areas where there’s higher populations,” he said. “If people want to treat for anything, whatever that insect is, they should consult with someone who has a pesticide license or with the Penn State Extension. Using something like bleach or gasoline is illegal, and could be dangerous."
How to report the bug
Report spotted lanternfly sightings to 1-888-422-3359, or use the state reporting tool.
