Commercial Spotted Lanternfly Treatment

Our commercial spotted lanternfly treatment includes inspections to look for nymphs and adults, sooty mold on your trees, and spotted lanternfly egg masses. The signs will depend on the time of year we are inspecting, but our spotted lanternfly treatments target every stage of the spotted lanternfly life cycle. With Western, you can Consider it Done®.

Spotted lanternflies are an invasive planthopper insect that originated from northern China and was introduced to the U.S. (originally found in Reading, PA) in 2014. They have since spread to several surrounding states and, without proper spotted lanternfly control, could continue their expansion. The Tree-of-Heaven is their primary host, but spotted lanternfly damage can be done to over 65 other plants including grapevines and roses as well as black walnut, birch, and several other varieties of trees. Large populations of spotted lanternflies can kill off whole trees or plants, hopping to the next one as a swarm to do the same, not to mention aggravate visitors and guests around your business, restaurant, or in your park. You can also listen to our experts here about these strange pests and a few others.

Since all stages of their life cycle feed exclusively on plants, they are a nuisance as soon as they hatch. While they do not bite or sting, they can move pretty fast. Spotted lanternflies are not very strong flyers, so restaurants, outdoor sporting events, office buildings, and multifamily buildings have been dealing with these insects literally flying into people’s heads in outdoor seating areas. While they don’t bite or sting, spotted lanternfly activity around your property is a nuisance to your staff and your guests. It’s important to deal with these pests at the earliest stage possible (spotted lanternfly egg masses).

As spotted lanternflies feed, they leave behind a sticky, sweet excretion called honeydew. This excretion is what many different kinds of pests prefer to eat including ants, aphids, and stinging insects. It can start up high but if you have enough spotted lanternflies in the area, the sticky substance can drip down, covering areas beneath it. Like all sweet substances, it can create a sooty mold if left unchecked. In severe spotted lanternfly infestation, the honeydew is so extreme that it can look like it’s raining from the trees.

Spotted lanternflies feed on the sap of plants. While their favorite is the tree-of-heaven, there are more than 70 plant species that have been identified they will happily feed on. Agricultural crops like hops and grapevines, fruit trees like peaches, plums, and nectarines, and ornamental plants are just a few.

September is the prime egg-laying time for female spotted lanternflies. They lay their eggs in spotted lanternfly egg masses that are set in rows and then covered with excretion to provide protection to the eggs. This is the time to scrape those egg masses off! It’s much easier to kill the spotted lanternfly eggs than after they hatch. These egg masses can hold up to 50 eggs and females can create 2-3 egg masses in their lifetime. That’s about 150 spotted lanternflies we can take care of just by scraping.

Spotted lanternfly eggs can be laid on almost any surface and because of the protective covering, will survive the winter. Western can take care of these spotted lanternfly egg masses in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to truly help both the spotted lanternfly population and the damage they can do.

Once the spotted lanternfly egg masses hatch, they are on to the nymph stage of their life cycle. They don’t have their signature red coloring at first, so they are not as striking and noticeable. As they mature, the red patches come in but by then, they are already doing damage. Their life expectancy is about a year – during which they can do some serious damage and annoy a lot of people.