As of now, there are no known natural predators for Spotted Lanternfly. Birds do not appear to eat Spotted Lanternfly and scientists are reluctant to bring over any foreign predators to avoid releasing other exotic pests into the country.

There are over 70 different species of trees Spotted Lanternfly are known to feed on, with the Tree of Heaven, Red Maple, and River Birch being their favorites.

You can’t completely eradicate them because the adult Spotted Lanternfly can fly in from neighboring properties. However, locating and treating the host tree(s) on the property will not only help protect them from damage, but also help reduce pest populations.

We would perform a bark treatment to all host trees with dinotefuran, a recommended product to combat Spotted Lanternfly. The tree will absorb the product and as the Spotted Lanternfly feed, they will die.

This is not recommended because we don’t want to harm beneficial insects that may be controlling other pests on the property. Some pesticides may not be labeled for that application as well.

Approximately 60-90 days. Another treatment may be needed after that time, depending on pest pressure. This could be another bark treatment or a “cover spray”, where we come in and spray where the Spotted Lanternfly are congregating.

There are over 70 different species of trees Spotted Lanternfly are known to feed on, with the Tree of Heaven and the Red Maple of River Birch being the most common.

Universities are still researching different control methods, and a soil injection early in the season is one of them. If this method becomes an approved application in the future, we may be able to perform these treatments as early as next spring to provide a longer season of coverage.