LANTERNFLIES WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW TO GET RID OF THEM? By: OnlinePestControl.com

What are Lanterflies and how to get rid of them?

What are Lanternflies?  Lanternflies are relatively small, measuring about an inch in length. They are usually red, white, and black with small black spots along their back. Although they are small, they feed on hard wood, grapes, apples, and other varieties of fruit crops. They are capable of causing large wounds in the wood of trees, leaving them open to mold and fungus and have been known to devastate plant life quickly when introduced to new areas. In some cases, trees that have been attacked by lanternflies may begin to produce sap-like substances in an effort to protect themselves, but this sap may attract other pests to the tree.  An average lanternfly life cycle lasts about a year, during which time they can lay between 30 and 50 eggs.

Where are Lanternflies Found?  Lanternflies are normally found in Asian countries. They were introduced to Korea roughly nine years ago, where they began to cause major devastation for crops. In the United States, lanternfly infestations have only been observed since the early fall of The first state in which lanternflies appeared was Pennsylvania, where a number of measures have been implemented to resist the spread of the infestation. If you do travel to lanternfly pervasive areas, it’s important to use this checklist to avoid taking them home with you.important to use this checklist

Where are Lanternflies Found?  Lanternflies are able to lay their eggs on any level surface, whether it’s of a natural substance like stone, wood or things like patio furniture and vehicles. Because the eggs are usually a neutral color like brown or gray, they can go unnoticed by homeowners. This means that they can readily hide on everyday surfaces and spread from one area to the next rather quickly.

How to Get Rid of Lanternflies  Egg Mass Scraping  The easiest way to get rid of lanternflies is to remove the egg sacks that they lay before they are able to hatch. Because the egg sacks attach to smooth surfaces, they can be scraped and placed into an alcohol solution in order to kill the pests inside of the egg sack. In the absence of rubbing alcohol, a basic alcohol solution such as the one found in common hand sanitizer can be used to drown the larvae inside of a scraped egg sack.

How to Get Rid of Lanternflies  Tree Banding  After being laid, the spotted lanternfly nymphs will emerge from the egg masses in early May and go through the nymph stages. They will spend time on the surface from which they emerge, and will crawl about to feed. Though these nymphs can affect many different plants, they’re more prone to the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima).

How to Get Rid of Lanternflies  Insecticides  At least three different forms of insecticides are currently known to be useful against the adult lanternfly. Recently, traps that use natural oils, such as peppermint and spearmint, have been found to be effective in enticing lanternflies to feed, which can help homeowners to remove the pests without harsh chemicals.

Other Concerns about Lanternflies  Because lanternflies have the capacity to reproduce quickly and to cause harm to even the healthiest of plants, it is important to report signs of a lanternfly infestation to the proper agricultural authority in your area. In Pennsylvania, several measures were introduced to attempt to quarantine the infestation, such as the introduction of inspections of any business that regularly stored merchandise outside, such as auto body shops and grocery stores with outdoor displays.

Other Concerns about Lanternflies  Because lanternfly eggs can be well camouflaged and adult lanternflies can spread rapidly, agricultural experts also recommend that whenever possible, firewood should be purchased in the same area in which it will be burned, since lanternflies often lay their eggs on wood when they can. When transporting goods that have been stored outside to another area, make sure to thoroughly examine the surfaces of every item transported to ensure that lanternflies are not inadvertently brought to a new location to spread.

Was this presentation useful? Did it help you with removing Lanterflies? Let us know in the comments section. You can like, share or give the original article some love. get-rid-of-lanternflies/original article some love get-rid-of-lanternflies/