Knowledgebase
Get Rid of Spotted Lantern Flies on my cucumber plants #873932
Asked June 20, 2024, 1:31 PM EDT
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
Do not use rubbing alcohol, as it is not a pesticide. Alcohol can also remove the natural, protective wax layer from plant leaves, causing "burn" damage that will be worse than the insect issue itself. (Boxwoods also have a heavy waxy layer on their leaves.) Even if not burned by desiccation damage, the compromised leaves could be more vulnerable to infections. Unless populations are very high, boxwood psyllids are nestled in the leaves that cup around their feeding site, so are unlikely to be much impacted by any contact-type insecticide. Plus, blasting them with a strong spray of plain hose water is usually enough by itself to suppress a psyllid outbreak.
If you try using an insecticide on the SLF, go with either horticultural oil (neem being one type in this category) or insecticidal soap. Follow all product label directions (make sure it's labeled for use on vegetables, for example), and re-treatment will be needed fairly often in order to maintain suppression of the lanternflies. The label should state when to stop using the product before harvest, though often with these low-toxicity ingredients it's only a day or so at the most.
Miri