Source: New Jersey Patch
Spotted lanternflies have been a New Jersey issue for several years. Even in states where infestations or dead lanternflies haven’t been found, landscapers and gardeners are wise to keep an eye out for them. They move quickly, jumping from plant to plant, and hitching a ride as products like landscaping plants, firewood and other products move across the country.
Spotted lanternflies have a three-stage lifecycle. The eggs are covered with a waxy, mud-colored substance called an ootheca that dries and cracks, an effective camouflage. They overwinter as eggs, go through four nymphal development stages, and an adult stage. The ootheca can attract other insects, including wasps, ants and bees, and also cause a sooty mold to grow on the plant, interfering with its ability to create the energy it needs to survive and grow.
Spotted lanternflies also are a “huge public nuisance,” according to Kelly Oten, of North Carolina State University. “They aggregate in large numbers and have been known to swarm restaurant doors, enter local businesses, amass on outdoor furniture, toys and trees, fly up people’s shirts.”
They aren’t picky eaters as nymphs, feeding on more than 100 varieties of fruit, ornamental and woody trees, vines, vegetables, herbs and grains. Areas with substantial grape industries are worried because a spotted lanternfly infestation can not only reduce yield, but lower the sugar in remaining grapes.
So if you see them, stomp on or trap them.
New Jersey Patch collaborated with environmental experts at the Duke Farms nature preserve in Hillsborough NJ for a video showing now to make do-it-yourself lanternfly traps. As it shows, you’ll need:
2 plastic 1-gallon milk or water jugs that can be cut with scissors
2 one-half-inch thick rubber bands
1 22-inch-long piece of 16-gauge metal wire
1 24-inch-by-36-inch plastic coated screen, such as a window screen replacement
1 2.5-gallon Ziplock bag
1 6-inch long piece of all-weather tape
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
All-natural string or twine