The reality of the spotted lanternfly

One of my responsibilities as a County Agriculture Agent is to monitor the activity of invasive and potentially harmful pests moving into Hancock County. Once detected as a problem, the County Commissioners are informed of the threat, and the County Extension office will begin to provide research information and educational materials to the public in response. I routinely have 10 potential threats of different insects, diseases, or weeds that I have on my radar list each year to determine when the risk of damage is great enough to send out the alarm. The spotted lantern fly (SLF) has been in the news quite a bit from local media. However, it is not a problem in Hancock County, at least not yet, but it is inevitable the pest is coming to our county and will most likely become an annoyance in a few years in the future. I have been watching for this insect since it was first discovered in Jefferson County, Ohio in the fall of 2020. It was not long after that first finding that reproducing populations were confirmed in Cuyahoga (2021) and Lorain Counties (2022). I found the first single adult in Hancock County in 2021, but no reproducing population became established. It may have been an isolated hitchhiker on a train or car that decided to hop off while passing through the county Still, the Extension office offered their first spotted lantern fly workshop in the county the following spring as a precaution and the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers have included the SLF in their fair displays since then, too. No egg masses or adults have been detected since the first adult was found in 2021. However, I expect that to change this fall. Populations of SLF have continued to grow and move westward since their original discovery in the state. There are now large populations in cities we visit such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. One of my Master Gardener volunteers said they were everywhere at a Mud Hens game he attended a few weeks ago. They have been detected in Perrysburg and Henry County this year, and in Fostoria, our backyard. Thus, I expect we will see some adults in the county this fall. Spotted lanternfly is not a fly, but a large, sap-feeding planthopper that feeds from the phloem tissue of host plants. They have four wings and a piercing-sucking mouth part that is used to pierce their food source and suck out the fluids. Adults measure approximately 1 inch long and ½ inch wide at rest, and 1½ to 2 inches wide with wings spread. The front wings are a translucent gray with black spots, transitioning to a black tiled pattern at the tips. The hind wings are red with black and white patches. When at rest, the forewings lay tent-like over the body. The red coloration of the hindwing shows through, resulting in a pinkish appearance with black spots. Some people mistakenly think they are seeing a butterfly. If you see one of these adults in the county, kill it and let me know you found one (419-422-2851 or lentz.38@osu.edu. They are prevalent enough in the state that you do not need to contact state authorities, but I would like to know of their movement in our county. I believe we may get a breeding population this fall that will lay eggs. The females lay eggs in late fall through the first freeze. Eggs are laid on host plants or any flat surface in clusters of 30-50 eggs arranged in 4-7 columns of aligned, seed-like eggs. These columns of eggs, measuring approximately one inch in length, are covered in a mud-like substance by the female. This coating begins as a light gray but darkens and cracks with age. If you see one these egg masses, let me know so I can confirm it and then destroy it. First hatch begins in late April to early May. The juveniles that emerge from the eggs are called nymphs. These nymphs are about a ¼ inch long and resemble a black tick with white spots. After the third molt, about mid-summer, nymphs will be ¾ inch long and their color will change to red with white dots and black stripes. By late summer nymphs will molt into adults, which has already occurred. Once a breeding population becomes established in an area, it usually takes about two years for populations to become large enough that people will complain about them. They can damage plants and certain crops but for most communities it will the sheer number of them congregating in an area that will become disturbing. Most communities complain about the waste they produce rather than their feeding damage. They excrete a sugary waste called honeydew. Honeydew as a food source, attracts other insects to the area and promotes the growth of a black sooty mold, which discolors plants in the landscape and makes them unattractive. This honeydew and the sap leaking from plant wounds will attract undesirable insects such as hornets, wasps, flies, and ants to your yard. Hopefully, it will be a few years before we see these large populations of SLF in our county. So, what do we do now? Well, make sure you don't inadvertently bring adults to our county on your vehicles when you travel to and from infected areas. Check your vehicles before leaving Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. If you see one in the county, kill it and contact the Extension office. Remove any egg masses that you may find in October. Tree of heaven is their favorite plant, so check them; however, they will pretty well get on any plant. At my son's home in Lucas County, they are on the Silver Maples. They often enter an area hitchhiking on vehicles so vegetation along major roadways and rail lines are frequently the first areas of infestation. We may not prevent them from entering our county, but we can slow their population growth. Ed Lentz is agriculture and natural resources educator for Ohio State University Extension Office — Hancock County.