by Megan Hart, Park Biologist

There is a new insect in town, and it isn’t exactly a welcome newcomer. The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has made it to Lake County, and it appears that it is likely here to stay. Although this insect can’t sting or bite people, it may cause problems for our trees and shrubs.

The spotted lanternfly is a type of planthopper insect that is native to Asia and feeds on the sap of trees. Though spotted lanternflies can be found on many species of trees, their preferred host tree is tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which is an invasive tree here in the United States from their home range in Asia. The spotted lanternfly life cycle begins when eggs are laid by adults in the fall and hatch in the late spring. The eggs are covered in a waxy gray covering that look like dried mud and are laid in places like tree trunks, rock walls, rusty metal, grills, vehicles, trailers, firewood, outdoor furniture, bikes and toys. After hatching, the first four nymph stages are black with white spots. The fourth nymph stage is red with white dots and black stripes and usually occurs during mid summer. They mature into adults during late summer and autumn and are around an inch long with black bodies and brightly colored wings with black spots.

Eggs

The spotted lanternfly was first found in eastern Pennsylvania in September 2014 and likely arrived from infested woody plants and landscaping material imported from Asia. Since then, they have been found in 17 states including Ohio. You may think this must make the spotted lanternfly an excellent flyer if it was able to colonize an additional 13 states since 2014. However, the spotted lanternfly is not great at flying long distances. The main way this invasive gets moved around is by people accidentally moving egg masses and by adults and nymphs hitchhiking on trains, vehicles and infested material. That’s right, those trains you see rushing by may have small insect hitchhikers clinging on as they are inadvertently moved around the country. In fact, areas with railroads and highways are excellent places to search for this insect because they are spreading along these corridors, and they usually have populations of tree-of-heaven nearby.

Nymphs

On top of being non-native and invasive, spotted lanternflies are also pests to our forests and crops. They feed on the sap of more than 100 species of trees and woody plants, which include some important fruiting trees and vines like apples, hops, grapes and maples. They can also feed on native trees like black walnut, maple, oak, sycamore, birch, willow and poplar. Signs of spotted lanternflies on trees are areas of “bleeding” sap coming from the feeding wounds and black sooty mold growing on and around the base of a tree. Spotted lanternflies can further weaken the trees they feed on and cause decline over time.

Adult

If you see a spotted lanternfly on your property, you can report it using the Great Lakes Early Detection Network app, the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Plant Reporter, or by emailing plantpest@agri.ohio.gov. Take pictures of the insect or collect it in a container to have it confirmed. If you have visited an area with a spotted lanternfly infestation, check your car, clothes and anything else that was left outside to double check that you aren’t harboring a sneaky stowaway. More information about this pest can be found here and here. Click here for a resident checklist.