While it may seem alarming, it just pose any long term harm to most plants.
We do not recommend using insecticides for them.

• Spotted lanternfly is mainly a nuisance pest in residential gardens and landscapes and has not been shown to significantly damage otherwise healthy ornamental plants.

• Spraying pesticides, including home remedies, can do more harm than good when it comes to spotted lanternfly in residential greenspaces. Any chemicals can potentially harm pollinators and beneficial insects.
• Consider more sustainable management options or leaving spotted lanternflies for predators to feed on.

The nymphs you may kill (they are hard to contact and move quickly) will just be replaced by others moving in.

While early research suggested that they feed primarily on Tree of Heaven, research has shown it can complete its lifecycle on many different plants.

Our page on Spotted Lanternfly will explain more:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/spotted-lanternfly-management-residents/

Emily