Spotted Lantern Flies

[scottg0814]

In my area here in NY we're starting to see spotted lantern flies. Not sure how prevalent they are around the rest of the country but the consensus is that they are invasive and they should be eliminated whenever possible.

It has nothing to do with how / why they are named Lantern Flies but they have a significant heat signature through a thermal scope. Another target for night time pesting!!

BTW the optic is the DNT TNC635R mounted to my BRK Ghost

 

[Trucker3573]

I haven’t heard anything about them in a few years. There was a point in time, don’t remember exactly how long ago, that we had screen on our pre trip and post trips for our equipment (truck driver) that we had to check off if we had seen any of those little buggers or not. Guess the government wanted to know if they were being transferred from place to place. That isn’t a thing anymore. I have never personally seen one.

 

[oldmojo]

Never seen or heard of them, im in Iowa

 

[L.Leon]

My wife sprayed a whole bunch of them way deep in the back of our property. She showed me an image of them which I identified and she went back the next day and “killed” them all…

 

[NorCal David]

They are mostly at eastern states in the USA, but also in California and Oregon. They damage grape vines, fruit trees and lumber trees. If you see lots of nectar harvesting insects (like honey bees) around a non- flowering tree, it might be infested. If you see any spotted lantern flies, report it.

 

[scottg0814]

They are mostly at eastern states in the USA, but also in California and Oregon. They damage grape vines, fruit trees and lumber trees. If you see lots of nectar harvesting insects (like honey bees) around a non- flowering tree, it might be infested. If you see any spotted lantern flies, report it.

Certain counties here in NY are asked to use a website to report sightings. Several counties are excluded, including mine, so I assume they're already old news here although this is the first year I'm seeing them consistently.
During the day I use a heavy soap solution in a 2 gallon sprayer to hose them down. Helps to slow them down so I can eventually step on them. I was surprised to see how visible they were with a thermal.

 

[RANGER94]

I am in the Philadelphia area. They hit about 5 years ago (I could be off on that). Year 1 was minor. Year 2 & Year 3 devastating. I used tree tape to help. Changed the ecology - new bugs etc. I kept a fly swatter on my willow tree probably killed thousands. Then I figured out how to kill the nests in the fall which helped. By year 4 not as many. Last couple of years very few. Hardly any. Nature took its course and adapted.