Native to areas of China and Vietnam, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive species that has spread to South Korea, Japan, and at least 17 U.S. states.
This species was initially discovered in the United States in September 2014 in Berks County, northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It poses a threat to fruit trees, grapes, and forest resources.
In Kentucky’s neighboring states of Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, the spotted lanternfly has established itself.
The Kentucky Division of Forestry notes that in recent years, there have been sporadic reports of sightings of this invasive bug in three counties in Northern Kentucky: Gallatin, Carroll, and Kenton, which are located near the city of Covington.
The Scottish zoologist Adam White was the first to identify the spotted lanternfly in the scientific literature in 1845. It belongs to the Family Fulgoridaey.
An explanation
Male adults are usually around 1 inch length and 1.2 inches wide, with gray-brown forewings speckled with black and a black head.
The forewing tips are colored in a brick-and-mortar pattern by rectangular patterns.
The spotted lanternfly’s crimson hind wings are visible when it is in flight. There are black or grayish bands on the whitish abdomen. The tips of its orange, bulbous antennae resemble needles.
Generally speaking, adult females have longer legs, small color variances, and are slightly larger than males.
The hosts
The Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), a prolific invasive non-native species native to Taiwan and northeast and central China, is its favorite host. It has been widely planted as an ornamental in urban and suburban regions in North America and Europe.
It has bark that looks like cantaloupe skin, lengthy leaflets, and a pungent smell.
The Tree of Heaven can grow to a height of fifty feet in twenty-five years due to its quick growth.
There are more than 70 possible hosts for the spotted lanternfly. As they become older, their preferred foods alter; while juvenile nymphs eat a wider variety of plants, adults will favor the Tree of Heaven.
Willow, maple, apple, peach, pear, walnut, and poplar trees are among the possible hosts. Additionally, they consume grape vines and hops, putting supplies for wineries and breweries at risk.
Feeding patterns
By sticking its piercing mouthparts into their host plant, the spotted lanternfly is able to eat by sucking sap from it.
In addition to causing wilting foliage and branch dieback, this stresses plants and causes honeydew, a sticky, sweet fecal substance, to accumulate. The fecal waste develops black sooty mold, which attracts more flies, bees, and wasps that feed there. Additionally, feeding causes infected trees and shrubs to release sap, which has a fermented smell.
The spotted lanternfly does not directly endanger people by biting or stinging, in contrast to several other insects.
Cycle of life
The spotted lanternfly hatches as an egg, goes through nymphal stages, and then matures into an adult. It produces one generation annually.
They lay 30 to 50 eggs in their egg masses on trees or rocks, which are frequently coated in a grayish mud-like substance.
As they age, the speckled black and white nymphs get wings and crimson coloring.
Report a sighting.
Seize the specimen or snap a photo of the spotted lanternfly if you believe you have seen one. Since there are other insects in the state that look like this pest, this is to confirm what you have observed.
The likelihood of successfully eradicating a potential infestation increases with the promptness of the report.
Send samples to the University of Kentucky’s Department of Entomology at S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, by phone at 859.257-7450, or by email at pictures [email protected].