Species Spotlight: Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

Break out your flyswatters and sticky traps because there is a new bad bug in town. Don’t let its pretty bright red wings and white polka dots fool you this bug is a terror. Its scientific name is Lycoma delicatula, but it is more commonly known as the spotted lanternfly. It is commonly mistaken for a moth, but this insect is actually a planthopper in the order Hemiptera. This insect has different life stages that depend on what time on the year it is. In the spring the eggs hatch and the nymphs emerge, these are black with white dots (early spring) or red and black with white dots(late spring). The nymphs mature into adults by midsummer and then lay theie eggs which survive through the winter.



These planthoppers feed primarily on the tree of heaven or Ailanthus altissima. This tree is also an invasive species that was introduced into America in 1784. Tree of heaven looks similar to sumac and walnut, but some of its key features are is smooth stretch mark like bark and the pours located on the leaflets.

Larval stage (left hand corner), adult (center stem)



Spotted Lanternflies feed on the sap from the host trees. They excrete the sap back out as a sugary liquid commonly called “honeydew”. This leaves the plants and surfaces below covered in a gross sticky liquid. This secretion creates sooty mold and attracts wasps and other stinging insects.





The honeydew they produce is only the beginning of the negative impacts of the spotted lanternfly. They also feed on grapes, hops, and apple, and this is threatening the well being of Pennsylvania’s agriculture. Here in Pennsylvania we have some of the best wineries, orchards, and craft beers, and it’s an industry that brings millions of dollars to our state. If this insect continues to spread it could have major impacts on Pennsylvania’s economy.









Tree of Heaven I have personally taken a trip into a state park within the quarantine and saw first hand the effects of an infestation. Sooty mold covered everything below the tree line, and as I stood under the trees I could feel the sugary liquid falling on me. When I looked at the trees around me lanternflies were everywhere, and not just on the tree of heaven. When we were finishing up our trip my team and I were covered with them and we had to make sure our vehicles and ourselves were free of spotted lanternfly to make sure we weren't taking them with us.





If you live in Bucks, Berks, Carbon, Monroe, Philadelphia, Northampton, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Schuylkill County you live within the quarantine. These are locations that are known to have an infestation, and measures are being taken by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, USDA, and Penn State to eradicate this invasive species.



Below I will leave a link to the PennState Extension website where you can report a spotted lanternfly sighting:





For more information visit:

https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/Pages/default.aspx