Lantern Flies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lantern Flies are awful invasive insects from China. Their nymphs literally suck the life out of trees and can kill the tree.

They have appeared in big numbers inside the beltway this year. Please kill them if you see them, and also try to remove and kill any egg masses attached to any tree.

I think they are rather pretty. Plus they don't actually kill trees.

They are pretty. But they are invasive and harmful to certain crops. It's not just about trees in your back yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They rarely if ever kill trees. The only exception is the Tree of Heaven, which are invasive. They can damage some crops though. That’s the main concern. So if you’re not a farmer they’re really just a nuisance.

No, they love Tree of Heaven, but unfortunately don't kill them, just use them for breeding.

We should eradicate both Tree of Heaven and speed lantern flies.

For the tree apparently you do need to dig it up or use herbicide after cutting it down, just on the spot where it was cut, otherwise it will likely resprout.

Sometimes they recommend keeping the male tree to gather the lantern flies in one spot and make them easier to kill. Who knows.

We have a place in WV on 8 acres that’s about half wooded and has a few trees of heaven. The lantern flies invaded these parts before (as in a couple years before) the inner counties of the DMV and DC itself. We considered getting rid of the trees of heaven but ultimately didn’t do it. The lantern flies have done no damage to any of the trees on our property and already seem to be less abundant than last year and the year before. I’ve stopped worrying about them.

Even if they are not a problem for you, they are a problem for others. That's why everyone should care about invasive species.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They rarely if ever kill trees. The only exception is the Tree of Heaven, which are invasive. They can damage some crops though. That’s the main concern. So if you’re not a farmer they’re really just a nuisance.

No, they love Tree of Heaven, but unfortunately don't kill them, just use them for breeding.

We should eradicate both Tree of Heaven and speed lantern flies.

For the tree apparently you do need to dig it up or use herbicide after cutting it down, just on the spot where it was cut, otherwise it will likely resprout.

Sometimes they recommend keeping the male tree to gather the lantern flies in one spot and make them easier to kill. Who knows.

We have a place in WV on 8 acres that’s about half wooded and has a few trees of heaven. The lantern flies invaded these parts before (as in a couple years before) the inner counties of the DMV and DC itself. We considered getting rid of the trees of heaven but ultimately didn’t do it. The lantern flies have done no damage to any of the trees on our property and already seem to be less abundant than last year and the year before. I’ve stopped worrying about them.

Even if they are not a problem for you, they are a problem for others. That's why everyone should care about invasive species.

Oh, eat me. I recognize that. I’m just sharing my personal experience so people don’t freak out about them. But, what do you expect me to do burn my property down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They rarely if ever kill trees. The only exception is the Tree of Heaven, which are invasive. They can damage some crops though. That’s the main concern. So if you’re not a farmer they’re really just a nuisance.

No, they love Tree of Heaven, but unfortunately don't kill them, just use them for breeding.

We should eradicate both Tree of Heaven and speed lantern flies.

For the tree apparently you do need to dig it up or use herbicide after cutting it down, just on the spot where it was cut, otherwise it will likely resprout.

My neighbor has one of these trees that sprouted up a couple feet from our fence line. Is it weird if I ask them to get rid of it or offer to do it myself? It’s already about six feet tall.

[Anonymous]

They swarmed and killed my cucumber plants. There were 20-30 on each plant. No interest at all in my tomatoes or winter squash

[Anonymous]

Lanternflies are a big problem. Anyone who says otherwise is uninformed. The farming communities surrounding the DC area are becoming more and more vigilant about removing ToH and figuring out ways to kill more bugs. While there are definitely way more this year than last out in the countryside, they’re in pockets. There are whole areas that don’t have many because of ToH control.

They have no beneficial properties. Fortunately some birds are showing an appetite for them.

Long term I think they’ll develop more natural predators than the Japanese beetle or similar pests.

But crops like grapes are under a big threat. They will go after your home gardens too.

And, just because they haven’t directly killed your trees doesn’t mean they aren’t weakening them or creating opportunities for fungal/bacterial infection. They can also stunt their growth. Killing them when you see them is more about solidarity though as you can’t squash your way to a meaningful impact.

A better thing to do is be militant about ToH. Even if they eventually resprout, keeping them cut down as much as possible, and keeping them small is useful. If you cut them enough eventually they’ll die off. I will say I’ve cut down 2-3, one was about 4 inches in diameter and I haven’t had any resprout.


Don’t confuse them for walnut trees or elderberries though… they can look quite similar when they’re young.

[Anonymous]

At least save trees in your yard. Easy and effective remedy.