Lanternflies - What's your solution?
I use Neem oil. I bought it in concentrate. A few ounces mixed with 2 ounces of dawn and a gallon of water in my battery powered sprayer. I spray once a week. It doesn't get all of them, but it gets most, and it's safe for my fruit trees and vegetable garden.
Cut down Sumac in your yard. That is one of their favorite food sources
Do lanternflies attack oak trees? I have seen some in my yard and I have a pin oak tree where that has multiple branches where the leaves have died.
I checked the internet and the answer is yes for lanternflies attacking oak trees. But unless there is really excessive damage, they probably will not kill the tree. I hope they do not attack tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. Just today I saw lanternflies in three different life stages. Two nymph stages and one adult. Yikes!!!!
I reported it through the state site which you can do here:
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/1d6503488aab4deab3dc9a2a874483a6
And for more info:
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/pests-diseases/spotted-lanternfly/
I suck them up in a Dustbuster vacuum
But they are tricky little buggers
In the past week or so, I've suddenly seen quite a few dead ones and wondering what is killing them. (They aren't smashed, just lying on the sidewalk or driveway as if killed by poison or heat or ???) I haven't seen a live one in that time, but we had not had hordes of them in our yard, just two or three at a time and that's now how I'm seeing the dead ones.
Last night I engaged in a battle with a huge infestation of them in this little section of a path by the church/ preschool. So many! Plenty of adults already but so many nymphs of various stages. Yikes!
We tried to cut down as much of the vegetation like tree of heaven and some other weed? Then there was the Neem oil shower. It didn't kill them right away like I thought it would. Still more to do today.
PeterWick said:
Last night I engaged in a battle with a huge infestation of them in this little section of a path by the church/ preschool. So many! Plenty of adults already but so many nymphs of various stages. Yikes!
We tried to cut down as much of the vegetation like tree of heaven and some other weed? Then there was the Neem oil shower. It didn't kill them right away like I thought it would. Still more to do today.
Onward valiant soldier!
I smushed one today. YAY. A couple years ago, we were sitting outside a little restaurant in Pennsylvania, and the spotted lantern flies were flitting around our table. Disgusting experience. I'm sure the restaurants in town would not want this to happen. Sorry to say, it's another plague that needs official attention.
Seeing a few here and there - seems like the threat was a bit overblown - or did I miss something?
jamie said:
Seeing a few here and there - seems like the threat was a bit overblown - or did I miss something?
not that many this year. They’re already in nymph mode.
I live in the City (of Jersey) and I haven't seen any. Even in our large, wooded parks.
I see Dawn dish detergent and water works. Some mention using a shop vac and use that mixture inside.
We've cut the branches they were on and threw them in the garbage - they were mostly on the young new branches on our magnolias.