Spotted Lanternfly Causes Property Damage and Attracts Stinging Wasps
Spotted Lanternfly Damage: Swarm of SLF adults feeds on a tree (left), Black, sooty mold at the base of a tree trunk (middle), Stinging wasp attracted to honeydew dripped onto a leaf by SLF (right).
Giroud Plant Healthcare Manager, Rodney Stahl, Jr, performing a basal trunk spray to kill Spotted Lanternfly.
Giroud Tree and Lawn explains how Spotted Lanternfly cause problems for homeowners and how to get rid of these problem pests.
“We are fully prepared to combat the Spotted Lanternfly. The challenge is making the community aware of the problem.”
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA, UNITED STATES, August 5, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Spotted Lanternfly are being reported all over Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties. First spotted in 2014, Penn State’s Agriculture Extension has been monitoring Spotted Lanternfly and issuing warnings about this invasive insect. They’re a problem for local farmers who are losing fruit and timber crops to the insects’ voracious appetite. Homeowners are also seeing impacts that range from annoying to significant damage.— Matt Giroud, Director of Field Operations, Giroud Tree & Lawn.
Spotted Lanternfly Harms Trees
The Spotted Lanternfly feeds primarily on the Tree of Heaven, which is common throughout the region. Unfortunately, these flies also swarm other types of trees, including Black Walnuts, Maples, Apples, Willows, and many more. According to the PA Department of Agriculture, they attack more than 70 species of trees, and 25 of them are found in Pennsylvania.
At this point, it’s hard to determine the long-term damage to trees. Penn State has been following the Spotted Lanternfly and monitoring infested trees for several years. While it’s still too early to say what the long-term effects will be, the insects are definitely causing significant die-back and defoliating branches in trees.
Spotted Lanternfly Causes Property Damage
These insects eat tree sap and then excrete droppings of a sweet, sticky substance called Honeydew. The honeydew will coat the tree, the base of the tree, and anything underneath the tree, including cars, hardscapes and decking. Then, black, sooty mold grows on the secreted substance. The combination of honeydew and black, sooty mold has an unpleasantly sour stench and is very difficult to remove from surfaces.
Spotted Lanternfly Attracts Dangerous Insects
The secreted honeydew attracts stinging wasps, who can’t resist the tantalizing smell of the honeydew. Stinging wasps are particularly a problem for children playing in the area.
How to Get Rid of Spotted Lanternfly
“We are fully prepared to combat the Spotted Lanternfly,” says Matt Giroud, Director of Field Operations at Giroud Tree & Lawn. “We are prepped and ready to treat these trees. The challenge is making the community aware of the problem.”
Adult Spotted Lanternfly should be squashed and killed. However, these insects will attack a tree in swarms, making it difficult to squish them all. Chemical treatments may be necessary for large infestations of Spotted Lanternfly on a property.
Homeowners should call an ISA Certified Arborist if there are signs of Spotted Lanternfly on the property. Penn State and the PA Department of Agriculture have recommended a two-part treatment program to eliminate Spotted Lanternfly.
July-Mid-September: Dinotefuran is applied as a Basal Trunk Spray. For a few weeks after treatment, the insects are killed on contact or when they crawl on treated surfaces. After the insecticide is absorbed through the tree’s vascular system, Spotted Lanternfly are killed when they feed on the tree.
September-Mid-November: Bifenthrin is sprayed on trees with Spotted Lanternfly. This treatment kills the insects on contact and when they walk over surfaces with the residue on it.
About Giroud Tree and Lawn
Giroud Tree and Lawn specializes in tree service, lawn care, and mosquito and tick control programs that make customers love doing business with the company since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties, the company offers professional tree and lawn evaluation, tree pruning, tree removal, insect and disease control, fertilizing, stump removal, traditional and 100% organic lawn programs, and mosquito and tick control. Giroud Arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the knowledge and experience required to properly diagnose, treat and maintain trees and lawn health. The company is Accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association and Better Business Bureau. The “Giroud Treework for Charity” program donates free tree care services to parks, historical sites, and other non-profit organizations located in the Company’s service area. For more information, visit the company website at http://www.giroudtree.com or call 215-682-7704.
Jeanne Hafner
Giroud Tree & Lawn
+1 2156827704
email us here
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