What are you doing about lantern flies?

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ER2023
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What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by ER2023 »

Starting to get nervous about lantern flies. They are destroying our landscaping and now they are destroying some of our trees. Surprisingly, they did not touch our vegetable garden ... yet. We talked to several people and are getting different answers, including what Dept of Agriculture is recommending. We tried some of the recommendations, including a spearmint spray, but it's not working enough. Our local park ranger is telling us there is nothing we can do at this time because nothing on the market is effective. Feel helpless just standing by and watching the destruction. Has anyone found something effective to deter them?
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Kenkat
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Kenkat »

I haven’t had to deal with lanterflies but I have had good experience using a soil drench of imidacloprid (also marketed as Merit or Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub) to combat other sap sucking type insects. Apply in spring when plants begin leafing out.

There is some discussion online from county extension agencies that this treatment is at least somewhat effective.

Use only where needed as it kills beneficial insects as well as pests.
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SmileyFace
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by SmileyFace »

Can you share what state or region you live in?
They aren't a threat that I am aware of (at least not yet!) in our area (Northeast). A quick google search seems to indicate that some insecticides are effective.
Have you called local tree-care companies to see what they suggest?

We had trouble with the invasive wooly-adelgid and our Canadian Hemlocks so now get them treated twice a year by a professional (its an environmentally friendly treatment that smothers the buggers but doesn't poison the environment). The cost of treatment is better than losing the trees.
Tamalak
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Tamalak »

These things are everywhere in the Malvern area. Entire trees are riddled with them sucking them dry. Their corpses all over the path I like to walk. The forest smells like it's ROTTING. And before this year I've never seen a single one. It feels like the end of the world.
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ER2023
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by ER2023 »

Kenkat wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:20 pm I haven’t had to deal with lanterflies but I have had good experience using a soil drench of imidacloprid (also marketed as Merit or Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub) to combat other sap sucking type insects. Apply in spring when plants begin leafing out.

There is some discussion online from county extension agencies that this treatment is at least somewhat effective.

Use only where needed as it kills beneficial insects as well as pests.
Thanks Kenkat, will research this more. It would be great to find something that was effective, yet not harming the beneficial insects.
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ER2023
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by ER2023 »

DaftInvestor wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:34 pm Can you share what state or region you live in?
They aren't a threat that I am aware of (at least not yet!) in our area (Northeast). A quick google search seems to indicate that some insecticides are effective.
Have you called local tree-care companies to see what they suggest?

We had trouble with the invasive wooly-adelgid and our Canadian Hemlocks so now get them treated twice a year by a professional (its an environmentally friendly treatment that smothers the buggers but doesn't poison the environment). The cost of treatment is better than losing the trees.
Thanks DaftInvestor. We are also in the Northeast (PA), so very glad to hear you haven't seen any yet. I will try to contact some local tree companies to see what they recommend.
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ER2023
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by ER2023 »

Tamalak wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:59 pm These things are everywhere in the Malvern area. Entire trees are riddled with them sucking them dry. Their corpses all over the path I like to walk. The forest smells like it's ROTTING. And before this year I've never seen a single one. It feels like the end of the world.
I agree with you Tamalak. It is almost unreal to see the damage they are causing.
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ER2023
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by ER2023 »

Thanks for sharing this info. It was interesting to read about the NY State quarantine. This is a big issue and one that may only get much worse.
tony_roach
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by tony_roach »

I'm west of Philly in Exton/Lionville area and if you can do it early enough its been helpful to place those sticky bands on the tree trunks.

After they've hatched I've used some of the bug killers with some effectiveness. Most of the stores have list of what has been effective. I have trees in my home that I've been trying to protect but these things are persistent...you can't let up.
likegarden
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by likegarden »

We here in Upstate NY don't have this problem yet. When they come I will try various sprays at hand. I.e. I have an exterminator coming every 2 months to spray with natural oils against mainly ticks, though they also have an effect on mosquitoes. They had no effect on hornets, but me spraying with Bayer Complete Insect Killer did them in, which I would use when the lantern flies arrive here.
Corrected due to following comment.
Last edited by likegarden on Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Uniballer
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Uniballer »

likegarden wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 12:44 pm A nursery owner said that the equivalent spray to that Bayer spray is using Permythrin in Bonide Eight Insect Control
No, these products are not very equivalent. It is more likely that the nursery owner wants you to buy the product that he sells.

The Bayer spray active ingredient is Imidacloprid, which is a neonicitinoid that gets absorbed into plant tissues and thus kills insects that feed on the plant, possibly some time after the chemical was applied. It is also used topically to treat for pests in mammals (e.g. fleas and ticks with K9 Advantix). Unfortunately, neonicitinoids appear to be implicated in bee colony collapse.

Bonide Eight Insect Control uses sulfur and pyrethrins. This is not normally considered to be a systemic insecticide, in fact a large part of the safety of pyrethrins is due to their rapid breakdown in the environment.

Bonide Eight Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate uses Permethrin.

Here is a report on a study evaluating insecticides against Spotted Lanternfly. I suggest that you find products based on the active ingredients that do well against these pests. In particular, bifenthrin has long been available in insecticides that homeowners can buy.
minesweep
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by minesweep »

The lantern fly is in my neck of the woods here in PA (Lehigh County). September is the beginning of the egg laying season.

"From far away, they look like splotches of gray paint; up close, like plaster or mud on your backyard furniture, playground equipment, stones and tree trunks."

"Each blob is teeming with 30 to 50 developing eggs of the invasive spotted lanternfly, and just as you might be tempted to hose off mud spots, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wants everyone to scrape them if you see them."

That’s not mud on your yard furniture, but spotted lanternfly egg masses. Pennsylvania wants you to have no mercy.
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megabad
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by megabad »

ER2023 wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:02 pm Starting to get nervous about lantern flies. They are destroying our landscaping and now they are destroying some of our trees. Surprisingly, they did not touch our vegetable garden ... yet. We talked to several people and are getting different answers, including what Dept of Agriculture is recommending. We tried some of the recommendations, including a spearmint spray, but it's not working enough. Our local park ranger is telling us there is nothing we can do at this time because nothing on the market is effective. Feel helpless just standing by and watching the destruction. Has anyone found something effective to deter them?
I had some friends in PA that mentioned these. I assume they will eventually spread to all states in the general vicinity and probably the rest of PA ala kudzu. I know almost nothing, but I assume one could potentially eliminate them from one's yard by removing all sources of food. I looked at the list of preferred vegetation and where I live, we basically have nothing they could eat in most yards. On top of that, they can't fly well so it seems to me that a big buffer zone might be enough to keep them at bay if you have a big lot. They mentioned some killer fungus too but I think that stuff is still being studied. Other than that, I sometimes do controlled burns on some rural land that I have at the start of winter. Seems to cut down on bugs the next season so maybe it would kill lantern fly eggs too? Not sure though. Obviously would only work on a big plot in a rural area unless your neighbors have good sprinklers...
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by minesweep »

megabad wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 2:38 pm
ER2023 wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:02 pm Starting to get nervous about lantern flies. They are destroying our landscaping and now they are destroying some of our trees. Surprisingly, they did not touch our vegetable garden ... yet. We talked to several people and are getting different answers, including what Dept of Agriculture is recommending. We tried some of the recommendations, including a spearmint spray, but it's not working enough. Our local park ranger is telling us there is nothing we can do at this time because nothing on the market is effective. Feel helpless just standing by and watching the destruction. Has anyone found something effective to deter them?
I had some friends in PA that mentioned these. I assume they will eventually spread to all states in the general vicinity and probably the rest of PA ala kudzu. I know almost nothing, but I assume one could potentially eliminate them from one's yard by removing all sources of food. I looked at the list of preferred vegetation and where I live, we basically have nothing they could eat in most yards. On top of that, they can't fly well so it seems to me that a big buffer zone might be enough to keep them at bay if you have a big lot. They mentioned some killer fungus too but I think that stuff is still being studied. Other than that, I sometimes do controlled burns on some rural land that I have at the start of winter. Seems to cut down on bugs the next season so maybe it would kill lantern fly eggs too? Not sure though. Obviously would only work on a big plot in a rural area unless your neighbors have good sprinklers...
Paraphrasing a Wilbert Harrison song:
I'm going to Kansas
Kansas, here I come
I'm going to Kansas
Kansas, here I come

They got some crazy
Little bugs there
And I'm gonna get me one.

A Kansas boy entered a unique insect at the state fair. It triggered a federal investigation.
Last edited by minesweep on Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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steadierfooting
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by steadierfooting »

I live in Montgomery County PA. I did Imidacloprid soil drecnch in the spring. Then fly paper wrap around the tree. Last year the fly paper stopped them from climbing further up the tree when they were mature, and I'd get a Gatorade bottle with dish soap, rubbing alcohol and water, they'd jump right into it and then die. I only have to do this for one tree in my back yard (white oak) they aren't interested in my hollies (which is good because I have dozens of them).

Last year I had to kill thousands. This year, none. I don't know if it's the imidaclopid or they just 'passed over' our house.
shunkman
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by shunkman »

I live in southcentral PA and we have a huge problem with Lantern flies. I have stopped using my deck because I don't like them landing on my head. I can swat 50 of them in two minutes and then another 50 quickly replace them. And I have been keeping my blinds closed on some windows so I don't have to see them crawling all over my screens. This seems like a very serious problem. Some are suggesting spraying them with a Dawn and vinegar mix but there are just too many of these nasty things to have an impact.

If you don't have them yet, don't discount how bad this infestation can be.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Great. Another invasive insect plague to look forward to. At least fire ants are pretty easy to avoid and don't kill trees. Good luck to those already battling this. Sounds like almost all of us will be dealing with it in time.
homebuyer6426
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by homebuyer6426 »

It's going to take time, but another species' population will swell by using them as a food source, and then the lanternflies will not be such a problem.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:14 am It's going to take time, but another species' population will swell by using them as a food source, and then the lanternflies will not be such a problem.
Maybe Asian Giant Hornets.
Californiastate
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Californiastate »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:14 am It's going to take time, but another species' population will swell by using them as a food source, and then the lanternflies will not be such a problem.
I take it that you aren't currently being impacted in your area.
clutchied
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by clutchied »

I think I saw some in SW Ohio but I wasn't sure.

They appear to be wreaking havoc in PA :(
homebuyer6426
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by homebuyer6426 »

Californiastate wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:28 am
homebuyer6426 wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:14 am It's going to take time, but another species' population will swell by using them as a food source, and then the lanternflies will not be such a problem.
I take it that you aren't currently being impacted in your area.
Not yet but possibly soon, I'm a stone's throw away from these areas. I did not say it would fix itself in the short-term.

What's really interesting is that they're flourishing around Trees of Heaven, a nearly-worldwide invasive species.
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kevinf
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by kevinf »

I was at Hershey park over the weekend and the Laternflys are absolutely everywhere here... there were half a dozen just sitting on EACH jersey barrier on Rt. 322 for miles and miles. Walking around the park all you see on the ground are smashed Lanternfly corpses by the thousands and live ones all over the equipment and pathways. It's bad :(
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Yeah, this doesn't sound good.
shunkman
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by shunkman »

kevinf wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:21 pm I was at Hershey park over the weekend and the Laternflys are absolutely everywhere here... there were half a dozen just sitting on EACH jersey barrier on Rt. 322 for miles and miles. Walking around the park all you see on the ground are smashed Lanternfly corpses by the thousands and live ones all over the equipment and pathways. It's bad :(
And they spread by hitchhiking on cars and trucks. The Hershey park event was probably a Lantern fly super-spreader event.
shunkman
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by shunkman »

I didn't think it was possible but the lantern flies are even worse this year. Does anyone have any fresh ideas for preventing them from swarming on my deck?
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happysteward
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by happysteward »

You need to remove their food source, “tree of heaven” (Ailanthus altissima ) is one huge delectable food source for them, “tree of heaven” is an invasive from China that is not easily removed, very sneaky species, if you just cut them down they spawn multiple “babies” thru their root system. Have to kill them with a herbicide, wait thirty days or so and then cut down. I live in southeastern PA and we have four “tree of heaven” in our back yard, thousands of the critters all over them.
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Uniballer
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Re: What are you doing about lantern flies?

Post by Uniballer »

I haven't seen any near me yet. My wife saw tons on a recent trip to NYC.

Penn State U. Ext. Spotted Lanternfly Management
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