Spotted lantern fly
 

Those of us in southeastern Pennsylvania are being swarmed by spotted lantern fly nymphs. Soon they will morph into large moths. They are a danger to trees and crops.

The experts haven’t figured out a proper control, and this pest is spreading. Unless they figure this out, they will be headed your way in the next year or two. It originated China, India and Vietnam, came over on a shipment of imported goods, and the SLF has no natural predators in North America.

They are everywhere. And if it’s not one thing then it’s another. Today I spotted the first Japanese beetle.

Aside from that, it is a great garden year so far.

Joe
Zone 6b

Seeing the nymphs here in upper Bucks every day for the first time this year. :( Not sure what the adults will prefer in my garden- glad I don't grow grapes, but there are apple trees...we'll see. Guess the numbers here will increase next year but you never know. When the brown marmorated stinkbug arrived years back they were horrible yet the numbers we see now are very very few compared to then.
Japanese beetles have been here for a week but the good news is that I've only seen about 1/day so far, which is unusually few. :)

Kath

I saw my first Japanese Beetles this week too.

Last year my Silver Maple was just covered with those horrible Spotted Lantern Flies. I just saw a new trap that I plan to make on the Penn State site. It is based on something called a circle trap that is used for pecan weevils and they give instructions on how to make one with vinyl screening, some paint sticks and a zip loc bag.

It is for catching the adults and they will be here soon.

I did not find any in my garden last year. They really prefer trees and grapes.

Note: Those big wide yellow tapes wrapped around tree trunks and used to catch the nymphs are very detrimental to birds and bats. Poor woodpeckers land on them and get stuck. If you are using these tapes, please remove them soon as the nymphs will all have hatched. If you use these tapes, you can also cover them with some chicken wire to keep the birds off of the sticky part.

I’m finding the nymphs primarily on cucumber vines and eggplant stalks, so I think they are feeding on them, and they are climbing on a red oak tree. But, they are everywhere, all neighbors are seeing them, on trees, shrubs and landscaping. I’ve been spot treating with a spray of isopropyl alcohol, 8 ozs., mixed in 24 ozs. of. water, and a few teaspoons of Dawn soap. It worked better when they were smaller, now they hop away after getting hit with the spray, but maybe they die after hopping.

I'm seeing them mostly on cucumbers, summer and winter squashes, too. Sometimes just sitting on cages or cattle panel. I'm hitting them with a soap/pyrethum spray but they are jumping away.

And I spoke too soon about the JBs...3 adults and many immatures so far today in apple trees, on corn silk, dahlia flowers, etc. :x

Lots here on grape and the invasive porcelain berry. Most are still at the second instar phase, black and white spotted and amazing jumpers. I also think they are up in the trees, as there is a honeydew-like glaze on a lot of the understory. I'm taking out as many as I can by dropping into a container of soapy water, but they just keep coming. Japanese beetles showed up today on the asparagus plants. It's 2020 still and all over again.

JB's are on my asparagus too. I have a small container of water (no soap) and I knock them into it once a day. I dump the beetle filled water into the chickens water bowl and they fight over them.

Japanese Beetles have been in Nebraska for a couple of years but are staying to the north of us...for the time being. A nearby grape grower has seen them this year. Hope he keeps them on the grapes. No flies yet. You guys in the east can have them.

Just what we need... another critter to deal with. Maybe they don't like hot weather and won't come south. Maybe y'all will have a hellacious winter and it will wipe out the SLF.

So far I've only found several Japanese beetles this year where last year there were swarms of them. Hopefully the ones I found and killed were the scouts and no more will come. Hmmm, that'll be the day. But one can hope.

Edited to add: Well, it looks like cold weather probably won't be cold enough. Interesting article with pics:

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_lanternfly[/url]

Hellacious winter? Why not? We're getting just about everything else thrown at us . . . #2020.



Sigh!