Chinese spotted lanternfly invasion

Spotted Lantern Flies

Down state New York is currently being overrun by an invasive species known as the Chinese Spotted Lanternfly. For those unaware this invasive species population has been growing like crazy because they have no natural predators in North America. They have been found all over New York City since 2020, but last year was the first time they started to appear in my town about an hour north of the city. The Spotted Lanternfly has been so successful in part due to the presence of the Ailanthus, or Tree of Heaven. These two invasive species have a symbiotic relationship that gives the Lanternfly an easy and familiar place to begin spreading. The warmer weather year round from climate change has also contributed to their growth. Recent winters have not been cold enough or long enough around us to effectively kill their eggs.

Currently many solutions to this crisis are being discussed. There are very few natural predators for the Lanternfly though some birds have been observed eating them. One proposed solution is to import a species of wasp from China that predates on them, but then we’d have yet another invasive species. Our best home solution is to identify where the lanterfly has laid its eggs during the early spring before they hatch and place sticky tape around the trunk of the tree. We’ve caught hundreds of young ones by doing this. Their eggs look like oblong grey splotches on the underside of a tree’s branches. Keep an eye out for them because they spread fast and will just get faster with time.