Even with summer in the rearview mirror and cold temperatures settling in, there are still signs of Spotted Lanternflies in Lorain County.
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 more 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 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 mouthparts 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.
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 on your property. The tricky part this time of year is there are fewer and fewer adults as the colder temperatures start to kill them off, so the presence of spotted lanternflies might be harder to detect. This is the time of year when we begin seeing egg masses. Egg masses are the overwintering life stage for spotted lanternflies. Egg masses can be difficult to find as they blend in quite well with the surfaces they are laid on. The eggs are laid in rows, with a mass being composed of about 30-60 eggs. The females then cover the eggs in a waxy substance that can look like lichen or dried mud at a glance. They are often going to be found on the sides of trees, but they can be found on a variety of surfaces from the backs of road signs to streetlamps. If you find an egg mass, you can scrape it off using something like an old gift card or something ridged enough to scrape with.
OSU Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture have been made aware of the presence of spotted lanternflies in several places around Lorian County. Most of the reports were coming from Elyria, Amherst, and Brownhelm Township. If you find them outside of these areas, it is still important to report them using the ODA Ohio Plant Pest Reporter tool. ODA does note on a recent update that spotted lanternflies found in or around known infestations do not need to be reported.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to learn more about spotted lanternflies, please feel free to contact me at the Lorain County OSU Extension office.
Thomas Becker is an OSU Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator in Lorain County and may be reached at 440-326-5851 or becker.643@osu.edu.