Spotted Lanternfly - Ask Extension
I saw the article on this insect in the Sunday Sun today. I wanted to report that we must have an infestation of these.
We have been trying to get r...
Knowledgebase
Spotted Lanternfly #876183
Asked July 07, 2024, 11:12 AM EDT
I saw the article on this insect in the Sunday Sun today. I wanted to report that we must have an infestation of these.
We have been trying to get rid of them for the past couple of weeks, not realizing exactly what they were. Started out as small black jumping spider like bugs with white dots. They now look like the picture in the paper. They keep appearing all over our deck off the back of our house. My husband started spraying Amdro insect killer, which does kill those that have appeared, but they keep coming. Is there really nothing we can do to eliminate them? We live in Ellicott City
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) nymphs will soon be maturing into the next life stage (called fourth-instar, the last stage before adulthood, when they develop wings). At that point, they will be mostly red with black and white spots, as pictured on the linked page. That page is also where you can find the reporting form for the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), if you wish to submit one. (They do already know the insect is found nearly throughout Maryland, but the data still may help them track is maturation across the state.)
We do not recommend using insecticide to kill them. Not only will nothing only affect SLF while leaving harmless insects alone, but it won't work for very long, since the jumping nymphs (and flying adults, later) can always recolonize an area after being eliminated. They do not cause serious damage to plants, and while their honeydew and the resulting sooty mold can become a nuisance when populations are high, they otherwise aren't causing enough harm to warrant treating. True, the MDA did encourage the public to kill SLF when it was first found, but at this point, it's not really necessary in settings where the insect is already firmly established, as it is in central Maryland. Non-pesticide means (squishing) are preferred by Extension and the MDA if action is to be taken.
The active ingredient in the pesticide you mention is a pyrethroid (specifically, zeta-cypermethrin). Pyrethroid chemicals are indiscriminate, potentially affecting any insect that the spray residue touches, which may include fireflies, praying mantids, ladybugs, bees, and other beneficial or harmless species. It's a drastic measure to take with SLF control, and as such, we do not recommend its use.
Miri
We do not recommend using insecticide to kill them. Not only will nothing only affect SLF while leaving harmless insects alone, but it won't work for very long, since the jumping nymphs (and flying adults, later) can always recolonize an area after being eliminated. They do not cause serious damage to plants, and while their honeydew and the resulting sooty mold can become a nuisance when populations are high, they otherwise aren't causing enough harm to warrant treating. True, the MDA did encourage the public to kill SLF when it was first found, but at this point, it's not really necessary in settings where the insect is already firmly established, as it is in central Maryland. Non-pesticide means (squishing) are preferred by Extension and the MDA if action is to be taken.
The active ingredient in the pesticide you mention is a pyrethroid (specifically, zeta-cypermethrin). Pyrethroid chemicals are indiscriminate, potentially affecting any insect that the spray residue touches, which may include fireflies, praying mantids, ladybugs, bees, and other beneficial or harmless species. It's a drastic measure to take with SLF control, and as such, we do not recommend its use.
Miri
