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How to Easily Catch Spotted Lanternflies Using a Water Bottle | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine
For an invasive pest, the spotted lanternfly is a beautifully colorful insect with delicately spotted wings that unfold to reveal a striking pastiche of red, white and black. But don’t be fooled—this planthopper can be destructive, feeding on nutrients sucked from inside plants and leaving behind sugary honeydew that later turns to sooty black mold.
The insect is native to Asia, where it traditionally feeds on the tree species Ailanthus altissima, commonly called tree of heaven. Insect predators keep the spotted lanternfly’s population in check in its native habitat, but in recent years, the species has begun to spread worldwide, likely through global trade. After being found in Pennsylvania in 2014, the damaging pest has now been spotted in nearly a dozen other states.
Finger Lakes invasion of spotted lanternfly predicted | News | fltimes.com
GENEVA — The Finger Lakes may be invaded by the spotted lanternfly soon.
The insect is an invasive pest from Asia that feeds primarily on trees and a variety of plants, including grapevines, hops, maple, walnut and fruit trees. It arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014. They have spread to Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and now New York, starting on Long Island and in downstate areas.
They pose a risk to state agricultural and forest health, as they use their sucking mouth parts to feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, making the plants vulnerable to disease and attacks from other insects. Officials worry that the spotted lanternfly will harm the state’s grape and apple crops.