By Thomas Becker, ANR Lorain County

The number of calls here at the Extension office about Spotted lanternfly have picked up in the last few weeks.

Many people in Northeast Ohio have likely heard of and now have seen the Spotted Lanternfly but in case some folks haven’t I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about this newer, invasive species.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species of planthopper. They are originally from the Southeast parts of Asia, primarily China and Vietnam. Likely a hitchhiker on imported goods, it was first found in 2014. It eventually reached Ohio by 2020 and was first reported in Lorain County in 2022. The Spotted Lanternfly’s primary host plant, Tree of Heaven, is another invasive species from a similar region of Asia. While that is the primary host plant, they feed on various other woody plants including grapes, hops, fruit trees, and other hardwood trees, vines, and shrubs. They feed on these plants using a piercing, sucking mouthpart called a proboscis to feed on plant sap. This feeding has the potential to cause plant stress that can impact the overall health of a plant over time. Grapes are considered to be one of the more vulnerable crops to Spotted Lanternfly feeding.

On top of the damage these insects can cause to plants, they also produce a substance called honeydew. This honeydew is the concentrated sugar that is expelled as waste from the insects. This honeydew can cause a sticky mess on outdoor furniture and spaces. Over time, that honeydew can grow a mold called sooty mold that leaves a black sooty appearance anywhere the honeydew drops. Honeydew can also attract other insects like bees and wasps that would feed on the sugars.

What can be done to slow the spread of this damaging pest? It has been around long enough now that there is likely no hope for complete eradication. This is an insect we will now likely deal with every year. There are ways, however, that we can try to slow how quickly this pest populates new areas.

The spotted lanternfly is at the point in its development that we are just starting to see adults. There are still a lot of what we consider 4th instar nymphs, which are black and red with white spots. As we make our way into August, more and more adults will start to emerge as they start looking for a mate.

Spotted Lanternfly 4th instar nypmhs on tree of heaven

4th instar nymph

The main question I’m receiving from Lorain County residents is what can be done if/when they find them on their property. Fortunately, these insects are not hard to kill. The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has a good resource for homeowners that provides spotted lanternfly management recommendations. That can be found here: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/slf-bmp. In our home landscapes, if you only come across very few, you can swat them by hand or stomp on them. You can also consider removing the favored plant hosts, Tree of Heaven and wild grapevine, if they are present in your landscape. In the winter and spring, if you find egg masses on your property, you can scrape and squish those to kill the eggs. If you are dealing with a larger population, then insecticides may be a good tool to help knock numbers down quickly. Insecticide options can be found in the spotted lanternfly management guide from the ODA.

OSU Extension is receiving reports of spotted lanternflies from several locations around the county. At this point, reporting is not as critical as it was when this pest was brand new and ODA wanted to know where established populations were located. Lorain county is now considered to be a quarantined county, and the ODA states that only sightings outside of quarantined counties need to be reported at this time.

Tree of heaven seed cluster with spotted lanternfly nymphs

If you have any questions or if you’d like to learn more about spotted lanternflies, please feel free to contact the Lorain County OSU Extension office.