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I was just out to take some photos of (and look for more) bitter melons, and I saw these for the first time! No way of mistaking these, for sure. I have seen them in the news, in towns west of Philadelphia, but I am in the range on one map I found online. Now I have to make some of those traps I have seen those people making on those news stories.
Oh no... that thing is here! The spotted lanternfly. 7-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The first one I saw was on the bitter melon, which is covered with Surround, so that does not bother them at all! And from what I read, these things are actually living in trees, and what I'm seeing probably fell off that tree hanging over my property! They want to climb back up, which is why all the traps I see go around tree trunks. I'll come up with something. I might brush some tanglefoot on the bases of some of those plants they are climbing up. I'm surprised that I haven't seen them before now.

Have you seen any @apple? Anybody else have these elsewhere?

Yowza! Haven’t seen one so far but am on lookout.

Have you reported it? I think they want the photo W/location. I have the link/email/text contact somewhere.....


https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/division ... nglish.pdf

Let me know if you find the place I can report it. I found what I thought was the place, but I couldn't do it. I'll try on my PC later - sometimes these things don't work on my phone or tablet!

I have them all over my Grape Vines, I go out and smash them twice a day, They are quick little bastages!

More info links —

PA Spotted Lanternfly Management for Homeowners
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lante ... homeowners

NJ Department of Agriculture | Spotted Lanternfly
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/division ... rnfly.html


...Looks like we’re ALL three of us in the quarantine area, so you might want to keep this in mind...

Checklist for Residents
Living in Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Areas
IMPORTANT: Before you move outdoor items from the quarantine area, check for spotted lanternfly egg masses, adults, and nymphs. Make sure all items are pest free before you move them. Help keep this pest from spreading.

https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/division ... cklist.pdf

...so, I’ve been out in the garden several times in the past week, but I did not see any so far. (Knock on wood __ __ )

KOW, I haven't seen a single one since those first ones. And I've been looking, and watching closely, and watching that neighbour's tree, to see if the adults are on it. Nothing, so far.

Spotted lanternfly eggs are easy to kill — if you know how to find them | The Philadelphia Inquirer

...from the article...

Is that photo from your area, apple? Fortunately, I have only seen a very few stray lanternflies here, but I'll be watching the trees in the area.

Sorry that was a photo in the linked article, so presumably somewhere in Pennsylvania. I put it inside quotes now.

... I haven’t seen many here either — maybe a handful. But my relatives in Mercer County area near the Delaware R. have reported being “swarmed” by them.

I read the article, but didn't see that photo, that's why I was wondering. Must have been a link in the article, and it looks very much like the first photo, but no insects.

Yesterday, I found a Spotted Lanternfly corpse on a Milkweed leaf.
It was under the trumpet honeysuckle arbor so it might have been a hummingbird and it could have only been incidental. But catbird fledgling have been clamoring to be fed there lately too….

In any case, it’s good that some Garden Patrol members are targeting these pests. We need them to learn.

I’m hoping some of the imported predators are more likely to recognize them as food. (for example, this might have been the work of an imported preying mantis — I usually find at least a dozen ootheca (egg mass) in that general area every spring.

This year I had a lot of lanternfly nymphs on my cucumber, okra, eggplant, and bitter melon plants. This was one bug that was not bothered by the surround, and about the only thing that seemed to keep them off was neem oil, which, unfortunately, like all oils, is not good to use at over 90°, which it was quite often. And it wouldn't work very long. I am hoping a colder winter will maybe kill more of them this year - last winter was very mild, and maybe that's why they were so numerous?

Even though it is a bad pest. I am learning a lot from this discussion. I have not seen this pest here so far.