I know I mentioned these a few days ago but I think it is worth telling you more about them because for most of you, they are on their way to you.
The
Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is native to China
and was first detected in Pennsylvania in September 2014. Spotted
lanternfly feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees,
with tree-of-heaven being one of the preferred hosts. Spotted
lanternflies are invasive and can be spread long distances by people who
move infested material or items containing egg masses. Juvenile spotted
lanternflies, known as nymphs, and adults prefer to feed on the
invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) but also feed on a wide
range of crops and plants, including grapes, apples, hops, walnuts and
hardwood trees.
At this time, they are mostly in southern Pa. but they are on the move. They say that they like the tree-of-heaven but believe me, they like everything, especially anything with sap. They are everywhere! Right now they are laying their eggs which will hatch in the Spring and then it starts all over again. Each egg sack holds 50-100 eggs so, when you destroy one egg sack, you kill many future lanternflies. The best way to fight these is to kill every single one that you see as soon as you see them. These little bastards can jump! I have switched from using a homemade spray to zapping them with an electrified racket. I am spending hours everyday killing them and there are still like nothing I have ever seen. If you suddenly don't hear from me for a while, they won.
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