‘If you see them, squish them’: Local arborist on the return of spotted lanternflies

It s the time of year when yards across the D C region are invaded by a pest not native to our area Twelve years ago the Asian spotted lanternfly was first seen outside Philadelphia Experts believe the spotted lanternfly made its way here on shipping containers that held their egg masses While the spotted lanternfly does not sting or bite it does hop as Elly Rowe WTOP s marketing director can confirm They have been hopping off of plants hopping onto my pets Rowe declared It freaks me out Lou Meyer an arborist with Davey Tree Expert Company informed WTOP the spotted lanternfly hops instead of flying as bees and other insects do The adults fly like chickens They could do short distances Meyer noted The spotted lanternfly is a small invasive forestry pest The only tree that is in true danger due to the spotted lanternfly is the tree of heaven Which is great because that tree is an invasive non-native tree So any of those we can kill are wonderful Meyer disclosed While the spotted lanternfly is not killing any other trees Meyer explained the pests are feeding off them by drinking the sugars that the tree produces to stay alive This is a weird metaphor but think of like a tapeworm It s not going to kill you but it s going to weaken you Meyer mentioned Vines are one of the targets of the spotted lanternfly which does affect those growing grapes and hops When the spotted lanternfly gets all loaded up from the sugars from the trees it does cause an effect on pets It is then excreting or it s a fancy word for pooping out this sweet sticky substance called honeydew Meyer reported with a chuckle It s a real high sugar content clear liquid that comes out of the back end On a sunny day according to Meyer if you walk under a tree that is inundated with Asian insects you will think it s raining The substance sticks to anything underneath So if you have a tree with the spotted lanternfly over your driveway patio or walkway it will be covered by that sweet sticky substance which attracts airborne mold Your car that you park for five days a week because you take the Metro in it s just going to get this gross sticky gray stuff on it that s hard to get off and it can in fact ruin it over time Meyer mentioned If you re wondering how to get rid of the unwelcome guest in your yard Meyer announced insecticides that have dinotefuran and imidacloprid can help I m not a big fan of wholesale destruction of living beings but these things are pretty gross Meyer reported If you don t want to use products Meyer reported you can take matters into your own hands If you see them squish them and it s a fun encounter for kids to play kill the spotted lanternfly Meyer noted with a laugh Source