Seek and destroy

Spotted lanternfiles are laying eggs now, putting residents on a mission

By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Chances are you - or at least people you know - have squashed a spotted lanternfly this summer [2022] in New Jersey.
..... But you probably didn't make a huge dent in their numbers no matter how many were crunched under your flipflops, experts say.
..... And now, is the time they're doing it.
..... October brings mating and egg-laying season in the left cycle of these invasive bugs that came from Asia and have spread like wildfire in the Northeast and Midwest.
..... They are more than just a nuisance. Lanternfiles are a serious threat to New Jersey's farms, because they love northing more than sucking the sap from a fruit tree. The state Department of Agriculture is encouraging New Jerseyans to destroy these clusters of eggs this fall, [2022] winter and early spring [2023] before hatching begins in May. Tree's a guide.

What are lanterfly egg masses, and what do they look like?

..... Females lay 30 to 50 eggs at a time and coat them with a protective layer to survive the winter.
..... They are usually rectangular and appear to be cream-colored at first, before darkening int gray or light brown.

Where are they typically found?

..... Although they favor trees of heaven and fruit trees, lanternfiles will lay their eggs on almost any flat, smooth, vertically oriented surface, said Joseph Spangna, an entomologist at William Paterson University.
..... "In nature, it's going to be a tree, or less often, a rock," he said. "Around a dwelling or business, it can be the side of any wall, side of a vehicle, piece of furniture, anything with a couple of square inches of space."
..... But it's not always visible to humans.
.... Egg masses are hard to find and even harder to reach. Penn State researchers found that fewer than 2% laid on a tree are at zero to 10 feet, leaving 98% of the egg masses above reach.
..... Lanternflies are climbers, so some will lay their eggs high on a tree or building. They will lay their eggs on trees in difficult-to-reach areas such as a deep first or long the Palisades cliffs, where trees of heaven are so abundant that lanternflies have inundated urban communities in Hudson County.

What happens to mama and papa lanternfly?

..... They die. No lanterfly hatched in 2022 will make it past winter.

What should someone do when they find an egg mass?

..... If they can be accessed safety, experts recommend using something with a flat egg like a knife or ruler to scrape the egg off.
..... "You can be extra safe and dunk them in water or alcohol, but just chucking the egg mass in the trash should be fine," said Matthew Aardema, a Montclair State University entomologist.

will it make a difference?

..... Aardema said he would be shocked if the lanternfly population wasn't even bigger next summer. [2023]
..... Lanternflies reproduce at a tremendous rate.
..... They are extremely mobile. The climate suits them perfectly.
and while there have been some observations of an occasional praying mantis or bird eating a lanernfly, there is no known pathogen or predator to cull their numbers.
..... "I have no optimism that anything we've done is going to reduce their numbers," he said. "It's good that people will be scraping these egg masses, but it's just a drop in the bucket."

What about using insecticides?

..... There are a number of household insecticides that kill lanternflies and their eggs.
..... Injecting systemic insecticides into a tree will also kill lanternflies that try to feed on it, but not much is known yet about its effectiveness against egg masses.
..... Spagna, of William Paterson, said homeowners should try to opt for measures other than chemicals.
..... Scraping egg masses "does have the appeal of 'doing something,' and lanternflies really don't belong here, so it won't cause any ecological harm," he said.
..... "It also is a better option than indiscriminate spaying of household chemicals or insecticides, which won't help and might do some real damage."

What's a trap tree, and can it stop lanternfiles?

..... Another potentiality way to get rid of lanternflies and their eggs is a trap tree - essentially planting a tree of heaven and injecting it with insecticides.
..... The lanternflies swarm the tree, suck on it for sap and die from poison.
..... While this may be a bigger project some homeowners would tackle, some New Jersey farmers have already planted trees of heaven to lure lanternflies away from their fruit trees.

Is there a way to eradicate these insects or are we just going to have to live with them going forward?

..... With so much on the line, scientists are spending a lot of time trying to find a natural killer for lanternflies -a parasite or predator that will reduce their numbers.
..... So far, none has emerged.
..... But Spagna is hopeful one may yet come forward as lanternflies become more common - the picky child who eventually tries some new food and finds they love it.
..... "A local predator or a few of them may find they like to eat these now-common bugs or their eggs, and if any of them starts to eat them, they may exert 'natural biological control' so you don't have quite the same density of them," he said.

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