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Once the young hatch they are found moving up and down on tree trunks. The moving insects can be captured on commercially available sticky bands, tape placed around trees, sticky side out. The method can effectively destroy many spotted lanternflies without using insecticides. Sticky bands are usually placed about four feet from the bottom of a tree and secured to the tree with a push pin.
Unfortunately this method will also capture some of our beneficial insects. There is also concern about small mammals and birds being caught on the tape. To avoid catching small birds and mammals, make a cage out of wire and put it around the tape. Example:
The Spotted Lanternfly adults are all dead. BUT they laid their eggs before winter set in, and covered the eggs with a protective waxy shield. Right now you can look for these on your trees and get rid of as many as possible. A recent presentation made by the Penn State Cooperative Extension included 2 good ways of easily killing the eggs. One is to smash them, and the other is to use a stiff material (like a credit card) to scrape them off into a container of hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol. If you cannot rid your trees of all the egg masses (many are up high), the younger you trap the nymphs, the better.
Photo from Penn State Cooperative Extension
Yes, they can become a real problem:
This is what they look like.
In case you missed them - Earlier Environmental Info. You Can Use Posts
by Judith Gratz, Environmental Education Specialist
Scrape egg masses off the tree.
This is how they appear:
Photo from US Dept. of Agriculture
ENVIRONMENTAL
INFO.
YOU CAN USE
If you find mammals or birds trapped, they can be released from the tape. Wear a pair of heavy garden gloves, to protect yourself from bites. Have a dishtowel, cooking oil, some tissues, a damp cloth, and a secure container or shoebox with air vents on hand. Cover the animal’s head with the dishtowel to calm it. Then place a few drops of the oil into the area where the animal is stuck, i.e., between the animal and the tape. You may need to massage the oil between the animal and the tape until you are able to work the animal free. Once the animal is separated from the glue trap, carefully cover the trap with a tissue to prevent it from becoming stuck again. If you can’t remove the animal from the sticky tape, or if it is lethargic or injured, get it to a veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator right away. [These suggestions from PETA]
The wildlife rehabilitation center nearest to our area is the Schuylkill Center Wildlife Clinic at 304 Port Royal Ave., Phila. 19128. Phone (215) 482-7300. Keep the animal calm by placing it in a dark container.
You may be able to use the damp cloth to remove any excess oil. Place the animal inside a secure container or shoebox with air vents. [Note: Put a small amount of water in the container for the animal to rehydrate, if necessary]. Drape the dishtowel over the container to make it dark, and place it in a quiet, warm location so the animal can rest for an hour or two. Active and alert animals can be released outdoors during mild weather and within a one-block radius of where they were found. If the animal was trapped during extreme weather, it should be transported to a wildlife "rehabilitator.”
SLF are plant hoppers with a piercing mouthpart. They may not damage a tree the first year they take nourishment from it, but as the SLF numbers increase and take more sap (which the tree must have to grow) the tree will weaken and eventually can die.
People who live in areas already infested with SLF report that they cannot sit outdoors anymore! Let’s try to prevent that here.