Lantern Flies: How bad you got them?

[Kitaman]

A couple of months ago I was sitting on my deck and an insect landed right in front of me. Actually thought it was a different looking cicada. I brushed it away. Well two months later I have to sit with a fly swatter and bug spray. Went to a restaurant in Fairfield County on the water and the place was infested with dead bugs on the ground. At this rate it feels like these bugs are going to win, because of overwhelming numbers. WTF!! All of a sudden I'm dealing with this new invasive bug multiplying all over the place (I got a few trees).

By the way I'm not removing any outdoor spider webs unless necessary. I've got one by the steps that creates large elaborate webs capturing a few. Weird but the spiders and I are working together.

Just curious how bad is the problem where you live and how do you cope other than foot stomping all over the place.

 

[Kathy]

I had an INSANE amount in my backyard this past spring/summer in Virginia, mainly because there was a tree of heaven on the very border of my yard. They're attracted to the sap, which drips everywhere and leaves a dark colored mold behind that kills your yard.

Horrible invasive tree that we ultimately chopped down. There goes $1,500, but hopefully it resolves the lantern fly issue. No joke, there were thousands of them covering the tree.

My son had it bad last year in Northern Jersey. Had a small Tree of Geaven, we cut it down and the infestation nothing like it was

 

[FightOnCT]

Everywhere in lower Fairfield County…the adults are easier to kill than the younger stages

 

[Lafayette]

Seriously they get up ~40 feet to my roof deck and I constantly have to battle them on my wine grapes. After a night out and want to relax I head up for a puff of 420 and relaxation and my lighter becomes a weapon against them. They don't fly well if their wings are burnt.

 

[Squeeze]

had never seen them before, but two weeks ago, I saw like a hundred on a tree in Elizabeth Park in West Hartford. my wife and I reported it to DEEP, but never heard back from them.

 

[HooperScooper]

I saw my first lantern flies yesterday in a parking lot of a restaurant up here in Eastern MA. I'm sure I must have seen them before but this thread alerted me to what they looked like. 2 of them flew onto the tires of my car. I brushed them off with my foot and then stomped on both of them on the ground. I haven't seen an infestation of them but it sounds like it's coming this way. Ugh.

 

[HooperScooper]

I saw my first lantern flies yesterday in a parking lot of a restaurant up here in Eastern MA. I'm sure I must have seen them before but this thread alerted me to what they looked like. 2 of them flew onto the tires of my car. I brushed them off with my foot and then stomped on both of them on the ground. I haven't seen an infestation of them but it sounds like it's coming this way. Ugh.

The town I saw the 2 lantern flies is on this map so my sighting makes sense.

Residents asked to report lanternfly sightings as invasive species spreads through Mass.

There have been confirmed spotted lanternfly sightings in more than 50 Massachusetts communities so far, officials said.

www.boston.com

 

[CL82]

Birds have started to eat them. Won’t be an issue for long.

When they first came to New Jersey, it was pretty much as described in the opening post above. They are still around, but not so overwhelming in numbers. Hopefully natural predation is controlling their numbers.

(But, yeah, for a while there they were everywhere. On the orders of our illustrious governor, I kill them whenever I can.)

 

[Squeeze]

i walked a block on church street in new haven yesterday and the sidewalk had like 50 dead ones. I did my part and killed 4

 

[Waquoit]

There were a bunch at Hammonasset on Tuesday

 

[BlueHen]

I live in Chester County PA, the US infestation stated one county over from us in 2015, so we've been dealing with them for 10 years. Don't see them in my yard very often and they don't seem to be as big of a problem as we originally expected, but they are around. I see most of them in downtown Harrisburg. I have no idea what brings them to the city.

The Tree of Heaven (aka Ailanthus, also an invasive species) is an important part of the Lantern Fly life cycle, so if you have one in your yard you may want to cut it down.

On a related note, I noticed yesterday that the Catalpa trees in my yard are covered with Catalpa worms. Never seen them before, they will eventually defoliate the trees, but it's so late in the year (leaves will drop on their own any day now) I don't think they will harm the trees. Will have to treat for them next year though.