Advice from WCU Office of sustainability Summer Bulletin No. 4: June 22, 2020

If you’ve spent any time outside in the past few weeks, you’ve likely spotted the above pictured Spotted Lanternfly Instar, or early stage nymph. The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species spreading throughout the state of Pennsylvania, negatively affecting agricultural crops and hardwood trees. In an effort to decrease their numbers, the following steps are recommended:

• Remove host vegetation (tree of heaven, oriental bittersweet, grape, etc.) but realize that when they are in their early instar stages, they are more generalist, and can be found feeding on a variety of plants, including ornamentals.

• Smash them if you can catch them – they’re very quick and jumpy at this early instar stage, so this is difficult. For these early instars, pillow cases can be placed around full branches and vines, closed around the limb, then after shaking to release the bugs from the limbs, smash in the pillowcase.

• Put up Web-Cote brand sticky bands with wire mesh to avoid birds and small mammals being caught (pictured here), or

• BugBarrier bands , or

• Circle trunk traps (make your own)