Lycorma delicatula (spotted lanternfly)
Datasheet Types: Pest, Invasive species
Abstract
This datasheet on Lycorma delicatula covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Further Information.
Identity
- Preferred Scientific Name
- Lycorma delicatula (White, 1845)
- Preferred Common Name
- spotted lanternfly
- International Common Names
- EnglishChinese blistering cicadaspot clothing wax cicada
- Local Common Names
- Korea, Republic ofggot-mae-mi
- English acronym
- SLF
Pictures

Adult
Lycorma delicatula (spotted laternfly); adult, on tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
©Lawrence Barringer/Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture/Bugwood.org - CC BY 3.0 US

Adult
Lycorma delicatula (spotted laternfly); adult. Museum set specimen. Note scale.
©Holly Raguza/Bugwood.org - CC BY 3.0 US

Nymph
Lycorma delicatula (spotted laternfly); late instar nymph.
©Lawrence Barringer/Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture/Bugwood.org - CC BY 3.0 US

Nymphs
Lycorma delicatula (spotted lanternfly) 4th instar nymphs. Pennsylvania, USA. July 2018. Photo by Stephen Ausmus.
Public Domain - Released by U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)/via Flickr

Egg mass
Lycorma delicatula (spotted laternfly); egg mass.
©Holly Raguza/Bugwood.org - CC BY 3.0 US
Summary of Invasiveness
Lycorma delicatula, also known by the common name spotted lanternfly (SLF), is an economically damaging plant pest native to China and Southeast Asia. SLF has been introduced in recent history to the Republic of Korea, Japan and most recently, the USA. It has become a major agricultural pest and nuisance pest in both Korea and in the USA. Feeding has been recorded from over 100 hosts and damage from this pest impacts numerous types of fruit trees, vines, specialty crops, ornamental plants and native vegetation in its introduced ranges. Feeding damage can reach serious levels in agricultural settings reducing yield, plant vigour, fruit quality and eventually host mortality. L. delicatula causes indirect damage to plants by excreting large quantities of honeydew on and around host plants which causes additional problems for crops, gardens and ecosystems. In the USA, SLF is currently only present in the Mid-Atlantic region but is continuing to spread both naturally and by human assisted means.
Taxonomic Tree
Description
Eggs are laid in masses that contain approximately 30-50 eggs and are the overwintering stage (Dara et al., 2015). The egg masses are present for up to 6 months based on climatic conditions. These brown coloured eggs are laid in several adjacent rows resembling small seeds. The eggs are then covered with a waxy deposit secreted by the female forming an oothecum to protect the eggs. This waxy covering is initially white when laid before setting into a grey, shiny coating. As the egg masses are exposed to the elements, the waxy coating takes on a dull colouration and starts to crack and split, resembling dried mud or earth. The coating and eggs can occasionally persist in the following year.
The early instars of Lycorma delicatula (1-3) are black with white spots. The sizes range (in mm) from 3.4-4.4 for first instars, 5.1-6.4 mm for second, to 6.9-9.4 for third instars. Superficially, they resemble spiders or ticks to the general public during the first three instars. The fourth instar is 10.9-14.8 mm in length (Dara et al., 2015). This instar develops vivid aposematic body colouration, with most of the black colouration replaced with red on the abdomen, thorax and head.
The adults are the longest-lived life stage at 4-5 months total. Adults are 17-27 mm long with females being slightly larger starting at 24 mm (Barringer et al., 2015; Dara et al., 2015). The forewings are grey with black spots on the basal half, with the apical half with black reticulate venation. The hindwings are a mixture of red with black spots with a patch of white and black. The abdomen is dark brown to black on both sexes. The thorax, abdomen, head and legs are black. The head features red colouring on the antennae. The female abdomen will swell with egg development, distending the abdominal sections exposing yellow tissue between tergites and sternites. Females can be visually distinguished by the red colour of the poster-caudal end of the abdomen versus the all-black region of the male in addition to their larger size.
Distribution Map
Distribution Table
History of Introduction and Spread
Lycorma delicatula was first detected as an exotic in the Korea Republic in 2004 were it spread rapidly across the country, eventually becoming widespread (Kim and Kim, 2005; Han et al., 2008). It was confirmed in Japan in 2008, through scattered reports of it dated to the 1930s (Han et al., 2008; Kim et al., 2013). The Japanese population of L. delicatula is more limited in distribution, with outbreaks reported in prefectures (Lee et al., 2019). The first USA population was discovered in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania (Barringer et al., 2015). This population was immediately recognized as novel as Pennsylvania had no recorded species from the family Fulgoridae (Bartlett et al., 2014). In the following years, spotted lanternfly has spread by both natural mechanisms (primarily adult flights) and human assisted migration to states across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Introductions
Introduced to | Introduced from | Year | Reasons | Introduced by | Established in wild through | References | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Natural reproduction | Continuous restocking | |||||||
Japan | 1930-2008 | Yes | No | Sporadic reports in 1930s, mass occurrences starting in 2008 | ||||
Korea, Republic of | 1932-2004 | Yes | No | Record from 1931 questionable, steadily collected in 2004 and onwards | ||||
USA | 2014 | Yes | No | Population suspected present for several years before discovery |
Risk of Introduction
If L. delicatula reaches a new environment, the risk of introduction in novel habitats increases as the insect develops. After emerging, nymphs will spread out in the environment seeking food sources. This movement is localized and nymphs are not particularly hardy, limiting their spread and risk of accidental transport. When it reaches adulthood, spotted lanternfly (SLF) can exhibit migratory flights of short distances that are repeated multiple times (Domingue and Baker, 2019). These flights can land SLF in vehicles and anthropogenically distribute the pest moderate distances, especially in cargo vehicles with exposed goods or train cars. Gravid SLF transported by these methods can quickly establish new population as females can lay up to 3 or more egg masses for potentially 150 or more SLF in the following year. However, the adults are very conspicuous and can easily be recognized by the public when educated (Urban, 2020).
The greatest risk of L. deliculata spreading to new countries comes from the egg stage. The eggs are laid in masses of approximately 30-50 eggs and covered with a waxy protective coating (Dara et al., 2015). This coating is dull in colour, starting white when fresh and ranging from light to dark grey when dried. Over time, it can take on the appearance of dried mud helping to camouflage it. Egg masses are laid on a number of inanimate objects including vehicles, metals, artificial and natural surfaces and quarry products as well as on timber and nursery products. Goods that are stored outdoors in SLF areas during the egg laying season pose a substantial risk as egg masses can be deposited while awaiting transportation. These egg masses can remain dormant for long periods allowing survival through long ocean voyages. Nymphs and adults do not overwinter or have the reserves to survive ocean vessel travel and air transport is likely unhospitable as well limiting the long-distance delivery of mobile life stages.
The global risk of L. delicatula introductions includes possible regions on six continents (Jung et al., 2017; Wakie et al., 2020). One of the preferred hosts, Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), is a common and widely distributed invasive tree in much of the world providing a familiar and important host upon invasion. Additionally, the broad host range of herbaceous plants, vines, woody shrubs and trees, either cultivated or wild, increase the risk of establishing SLF upon arrival. Grape (Vitis vinifera) vineyards also appear to be particularly attractive to SLF and regions that grow grapes overlap well with SLF’s predicted global distribution overlapping the western USA, parts of South America, Australia, southern Africa and much of Europe.
In the USA, the insect is under a series of quarantine orders from both infested and uninfested states. Canada and Morocco have listed it as a quarantine pest and it is included it in the EPPO A1 List by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.
Means of Movement and Dispersal
Natural Dispersal
Lycorma delicatula nymphs disperse throughout the environment tasting and feeding on a variety of hosts and have been documented moving up to 15 m in 15 min and travelling over 65 m from release over 10 days (Jung et al., 2017; Keller et al., 2020; Urban, 2020). All instars have similar rates of dispersal suggesting that nymphs have limited range for dispersal before reaching adulthood (Keller et al., 2020). Behaviours that also contribute to their natural dispersal is the cyclic behaviour of falling out of hosts and wandering to find new hosts (Kim JaeGeun et al., 2011).
Dispersal flight activities were observed in the USA in 2017, 3 years after discovery of the infestation (Baker et al., 2019). In that year and subsequent years, flight dispersing adults were observed launching into the wind multiple times for short distance flights. These flights continued until mating was observed, possibly supporting that density dependent factors drive these flights as they have only been observed in high density populations.
Accidental Introduction
L. delicatula poses a serious risk of accidental movement through its habit of laying cryptically coloured egg masses on a variety of strata. Goods stored outdoors, vehicles, trains, cargo containers, nursery stock, timber and logging products, recreational vehicles and many other objects can harbour egg masses that are durable and can be transported long distances. As these egg masses contain many eggs, 30-50 on average, one egg mass transported to a new area risks establishing a population.
Pathway Causes
Pathway cause | Notes | Long distance | Local | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Crop production (pathway cause) | Movement on material packaging as egg masses | Yes | Yes | |
Forestry (pathway cause) | Egg masses laid on and under bark can be transported to lumbermills | Yes | Yes | |
Hitchhiker (pathway cause) | Adults frequently land in vehicle conveyances and can be transported long distances | Yes | Yes | |
Industrial purposes (pathway cause) | Materials that are exposed to the environment may have egg masses deposited on them before transport | Yes | Yes | |
Self-propelled (pathway cause) | Adults migrate short distances to find food sources | Yes | ||
Timber trade (pathway cause) | Live edge timber carries a risk of egg masses still being present | Yes | Yes |
Pathway Vectors
Pathway vector | Notes | Long distance | Local | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aircraft (pathway vector) | Aircraft have accidentally transported | Yes | Yes | |
Bulk freight or cargo (pathway vector) | Bulk freight containers can convey egg masses | Yes | Yes | |
Containers and packaging - wood (pathway vector) | Containers and packaging can harbour egg masses | Yes | Yes | |
Containers and packaging - non-wood (pathway vector) | Containers and packaging can harbour egg masses | Yes | Yes | |
Machinery and equipment (pathway vector) | Egg masses can be laid on externally stored equipment, i.e. tractors, chippers, ATVs, etc. | Yes | Yes | |
Land vehicles (pathway vector) | Egg masses deposited on vehicles. Adults found on vehicles can be transported | Yes | Yes |
Plant Trade
Plant parts liable to carry the pest in trade/transport | Pest stages | Borne internally | Borne externally | Visibility of pest or symptoms |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bark | arthropods/eggs | Yes | Pest or symptoms usually visible to the naked eye | |
Stems (above ground)/Shoots/Trunks/Branches | arthropods/eggs | Yes | Pest or symptoms usually visible to the naked eye | |
Wood | arthropods/eggs | Yes | Pest or symptoms usually visible to the naked eye |
Plant parts not known to carry the pest in trade/transport |
---|
Leaves |
Wood Packaging
Wood packaging not known to carry the pest in trade/transport | Timber type | Used as packing |
---|---|---|
Processed or treated wood | Yes | |
Solid wood packing material with bark | Yes | |
Solid wood packing material without bark | Yes |
Hosts/Species Affected
Many of the crops listed here have experienced varying levels of damage from Lycorma delicatula. Orchard crops can see large influxes of adults into them onto crops, creating small but possibly damaging windows through feeding pressure and indirect damage to crops through honeydew. Damage to orchard trees has not yet been quantified and exact damages are mostly estimates or potential (Parra et al., 2018; Harper et al., 2019).
Host Plants and Other Plants Affected
Growth Stages
Fruiting stage
Flowering stage
Post-harvest
Vegetative growing stage
Symptoms
All mobile life stages can cause damage to plants, but larger instars and adults pose the most risk due to the volume of plant fluids removed from the host during consumption. There are two main sources of damage from Lycorma delicatula feeding. The first is through weakening the plant by removing large volumes of sap from the plant causing wilting and eventual death (Dara et al., 2015). Death of plants is typically the result of multiple years of feeding, especially for larger trees and vines. Secondary pathogens and infections may also cause stress and damage to the host.
The second source of damage to plants is via honeydew excretions onto leaf surfaces. Both the host and plants below the host (especially larger trees) can have photosynthesis blocked by the development of moulds on the leaf surface, blocking sunlight. This damage can result in weakening and dead rings of understory vegetation around trees and blackened soil substrates, appearing similar to fire damage. In very heavily fed upon trees, mats of mould may appear around bases of trees as large white areas covering hand-sized areas.
List of Symptoms/Signs
Symptom or sign | Life stages | Sign or diagnosis | Disease stage |
---|---|---|---|
Plants/Fruit/external feeding | |||
Plants/Fruit/honeydew or sooty mould | |||
Plants/Growing point/wilt | |||
Plants/Leaves/honeydew or sooty mould | |||
Plants/Leaves/wilting | |||
Plants/Stems/external feeding | |||
Plants/Stems/gummosis or resinosis | |||
Plants/Stems/honeydew or sooty mould | |||
Plants/Stems/wilt | |||
Plants/Whole plant/early senescence | |||
Plants/Whole plant/external feeding | |||
Plants/Whole plant/plant dead; dieback | |||
Plants/Whole plant/wilt |
Similarities to Other Species/Conditions
In North America, there are no other fulgoroids that closely match Lycorma delicatula. In the northeast, only one true Fulgoridae occurs, which is completely black (Bartlett et al., 2014). Other fulgorid species occurring in the south and southwest USA are much smaller and dully coloured in comparison. Adult L. delicatula may superficially resemble some moths, particularly noctuid underwings, due to their colourful hindwings.
Habitat
Lycorma delicatula utilizes a wide variety of hosts and therefore use no special habitat, however they are often observed on roadsides and waste areas, particularly where tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and/or wild grapes (Vitis) occur as well as in vineyards.
It is important to note that many of the plant species recorded as hosts by publications are exclusively known as egg deposition substrates. L. delicatula also lay their egg masses on non-natural structures and materials, so their presence on living material should not necessarily be interpreted as suitable habitat. They may, however, serve as a guide for survey, detection and inspection duties for this pest.
Habitat List
Category | Sub category | Habitat | Presence | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Cultivated / agricultural land | Secondary/tolerated habitat | |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Managed forests, plantations and orchards | Present, no further details | Harmful (pest or invasive) |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Managed forests, plantations and orchards | Present, no further details | Natural |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Disturbed areas | Principal habitat | Natural |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Rail / roadsides | Principal habitat | Natural |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Urban / peri-urban areas | Present, no further details | Harmful (pest or invasive) |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial – Managed | Urban / peri-urban areas | Principal habitat | Natural |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial ‑ Natural / Semi-natural | Natural forests | Principal habitat | Harmful (pest or invasive) |
Terrestrial | Terrestrial ‑ Natural / Semi-natural | Natural forests | Principal habitat | Natural |
Biology and Ecology
Lycorma delicatula is a univoltine species in its native and introduced ranges. Egg masses overwinter and gradually emerge in the spring (April to May in the USA). Often the egg masses are laid on or near host species but can also be found laid on inanimate substrates or non-host plants. The nymphs emerge from their egg masses and disperse into the environment in search of appropriate hosts. The nymphs display cyclic behaviour of falling or leaving hosts and returning to or moving onto new hosts (Kim JaeGeun et al., 2011). The known host range of L. delicatula is the broadest at this time. Many herbaceous host plants fed upon by early instars are probably not large enough to support later instars and adults. Nymphs in the first to third instar are black with white spots and remain similar in appearance while growing larger with each instar.
The fourth instar of L. delicatula undergoes a dramatic change in appearance, with red featuring predominantly, replacing the black with white spot colouring of the first three instars. This colouration is thought to be aposematic in nature as the spotted lanternfly starts narrowing its host range, which includes Ailanthus altissima. This tree (along with other hosts) contains compounds that decrease the palatability of the insect to predators (primarily birds) (Kang et al., 2017).
The adult’s life stage appears in late summer and limited feeding patterns and sex-determinate behaviours emerge (Baker et al., 2019). Adults will focus on woody tree material for food sources as smaller plants cannot sufficiently support them. Large vines, such as grapes (Vitis vinifera) in vineyards, also become attractive to adults (Leach and Leach, 2020). Males and females will segregate in the wild, aggregating on separate trees as they feed. Later in the autumn both sexes will intermingle and mating will occur, with female mating with multiple males.
Females will start laying eggs around September in the USA on a wide variety of substrates (Dara et al., 2015). Smooth-barked trees are most common, but flat artificial structures, metal surfaces, vehicles, outdoor furniture and equipment, rocks, nursery materials and other substrates can all host egg masses. Egg masses can be found in a clustered arrangement with multiple females laying in the same area or adjacent to egg masses of other females (Liu, 2020). Egg laying persists until the late autumn when cold weather kills the adults, generally after the weather consistently reaches freezing overnight temperatures.
Genetics
The genetics of L. delicatula invasions have been explored in both Asia and the USA. In Asia, the introduction of spotted lanternfly to Korea and Japan were matched to populations of L. delicatula in China, linking their introduction from areas around Beijing, Tianjin, Quingdao and Shanghai (Kim et al., 2013). The genome of a wild-collected individual from Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA was recently assembled and published along with improvements to sequencing protocols (Kingan et al., 2019) that make efforts to assess the population genetics of the USA population much more attainable. Such an assessment has not yet been made.
Reproductive Biology
Adult L. delicatula segregate to some degree after emerging by sex (Baker et al., 2019). As the mating period approaches, the two sexes will start to form gregarious congregations. Large migratory flights can be seen by both sexes with mating following this dispersal period (Baker et al., 2019). Mating can occur multiple times after a brief courtship and copulation can last up to 4 h. Female abdomens will start to swell after mating as egg development matures. This swelling will present as yellow tissue between swollen abdominal sections. Egg laying by females can results in multiple egg masses.
Eggs undergo diapause early in their embryonic development, requiring 2 weeks of warm temperatures before hatching was induced (Shim and Lee, 2015). Eggs that overwinter for longer periods (5 months) have better synchronous hatching, as well as more successful hatch rates, suggesting that colder temperatures are beneficial to the survival of the eggs (Shim and Lee, 2015).
Nutrition
L. delicatula has been found to feed on over 100 plant taxa across 33 families (Barringer and Ciafre, 2020). The nymphs have a broader range of hosts than their adult’s counterparts. Later instars and adults have a narrowed feeding range and move onto physically larger hosts to support their nutritional needs and to possibly uptake defensive chemicals (Kang et al., 2017). L. delicatula shows a strong preference for Ailanthus altissima, though they can complete development in the absence of this species and often utilize multiple hosts through their development (Uyi et al., 2020).
Environmental Requirements
Environmental requirements based upon work using Climex predictions have been used to determine preferred and tolerated status (Jung et al., 2017).
Climate
Climate type | Description | Preferred or tolerated | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
A - Tropical/Megathermal climate | Average temp. of coolest month > 18°C, > 1500mm precipitation annually | Preferred | |
Af - Tropical rainforest climate | > 60mm precipitation per month | Preferred | |
Am - Tropical monsoon climate | Tropical monsoon climate ( < 60mm precipitation driest month but > (100 - [total annual precipitation(mm}/25])) | Preferred | |
As - Tropical savanna climate with dry summer | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in summer) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) | Tolerated | |
Aw - Tropical wet and dry savanna climate | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in winter) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) | Tolerated | |
C - Temperate/Mesothermal climate | Average temp. of coldest month > 0°C and < 18°C, mean warmest month > 10°C | Preferred | |
Cs - Warm temperate climate with dry summer | Warm average temp. > 10°C, Cold average temp. > 0°C, dry summers | Tolerated | |
Cw - Warm temperate climate with dry winter | Warm temperate climate with dry winter (Warm average temp. > 10°C, Cold average temp. > 0°C, dry winters) | Tolerated | |
Cf - Warm temperate climate, wet all year | Warm average temp. > 10°C, Cold average temp. > 0°C, wet all year | Preferred |
Notes on Natural Enemies
A few natural enemies of Lycorma delicatula have been identified. Egg parasitoids include Anastatus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) in Korea Republic and Ooencyrtus kuvanae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in the USA (Liu and Mottern, 2017). It is unclear if the Anastatus spp. is a specialist while Ooencyrtus is known to parasitize many species. Dryinus browni is also being studied as a biocontrol agent as it is present in the home range of spotted lantern fly in China and parasitizes L. delicatula (Hoelmer et al., 2019). Generalist predators have also been found in the USA but probably have little impact on the populations (Barringer and Smyers, 2016).
Natural enemies
Natural enemy | Type | Life stages | Specificity | References | Biological control in | Biological control on |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anastatus | Parasite | Eggs | ||||
Ooencyrtus kuvanae | Parasite | Eggs |
Impact Summary
Category | Impact |
---|---|
Cultural/amenity | Negative |
Economic/livelihood | Negative |
Environment (generally) | Negative |
Impact: Economic
Damage has been reported in Korea Republic on both vineyards and orchards requiring costly cultural and chemical shifts to alleviate damage and crop loss (Han et al., 2008; Shin et al., 2010). In the USA, damage estimates have been assembled for Pennsylvania and Washington. Economic impacts for Pennsylvania were assessed with complete infestation of the state predicted to reach $42.6 million in direct damage to crops, with $99.1 million in yearly damage at worst impact predictions (Harper et al., 2019). In the state of Washington, the risk of L. delicatula introduction was estimated to impact a combined $3.8 billion in cherries (Prunus), grapes (Vitis vinifera) and hops (Humulus lupulus) (Wakie et al., 2020).
Impact: Environmental
Repeated feeding by large numbers of adults (1000+) can weaken a tree and kill it outright, as well as weaken it for attack by secondary pests and pathogens (Urban, 2020). Sooty mould production can also blacken understories beneath trees, impairing photosynthesis of plants causing dieback and death. The death of understory could have detrimental effects on wildlife that depend on these plants and their resources, as well as environmental services (Urban, 2020).
Impact: Social
Large numbers of spotted lanternfly can become a nuisance in outdoor settings with large host trees, as walnuts (Juglans regia) and maples (Acer) are often found in suburban settings in the USA. Honeydew excreted by L. delicatula can coat surfaces in sticky residues negatively impacting outdoor entertainment and home gardening. The honeydew can cause staining as the sugar content promotes sooty mould development (Urban, 2020). Honeydew is also known to attract Hymenoptera, particularly wasps and hornets in Vespidae, which can sting and are disconcerting to the public.
Risk and Impact Factors
Invasiveness
Proved invasive outside its native range
Has a broad native range
Abundant in its native range
Is a habitat generalist
Pioneering in disturbed areas
Capable of securing and ingesting a wide range of food
Highly mobile locally
Gregarious
Impact outcomes
Host damage
Negatively impacts agriculture
Negatively impacts forestry
Negatively impacts tourism
Damages animal/plant products
Negatively impacts trade/international relations
Impact mechanisms
Herbivory/grazing/browsing
Likelihood of entry/control
Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
Difficult to identify/detect as a commodity contaminant
Difficult/costly to control
Uses
L. delicatula has been described as a natural remedy for relief from swelling but no other uses of it are known (Choi et al., 2002). Use of it outside China as a medicinal product or otherwise is currently unknown.
Uses List
Medicinal, pharmaceutical > Traditional/folklore
Detection and Inspection
Lycorma delicatula can be detected visually throughout the growing season. The nymphs in the first three instars are often overlooked by the general public, either because of their small size, bland colouration, or similarity to other small dark insects. The fourth instar and adult are very conspicuous in contrast (Urban, 2020). The general public, with education, can reliably identify and report this pest in the environment and around their homes. Identification of egg masses by the public is less reliable due to their cryptic colouration like dried mud and the habit of them being laid in protected, covered spaces or high on structures and trees.
Visual surveys in the spring focus on more herbaceous plants and younger branches of host trees as nymphs require the softer tissues to feed. Branch tips, small shoots and fresh regrowth are most likely to yield detections. As L. delicatula reaches the fourth instar, they migrate to a smaller range of woody hosts, particularly Acer, Ailanthus, Juglans and Vitis in the USA (Urban, 2020). Orchard survey for spotted lanternfly should be focused on hedgerows and periphery for most of the year until the late autumn when it is more likely to migrate to feed.
Visual survey for eggs can be done anytime between September and May in the USA. Egg masses will persist through this entire period and occasionally older egg masses from the previous season can be found, indicating that the infestation is at least 1 year old. Egg mass inspections should focus on materials that are stored outdoors during egg laying season, roughly September to November or December, based on weather conditions killing adults. Egg masses can be laid on a variety of surfaces including bark, stone, wood, metal, plastic and stiff fabrics. Egg masses are also laid on open, exposed surfaces as well as tight spaces such as undersides of vehicles, furniture, stone goods and under tree bark making detection difficult.
Prevention and Control
Due to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.
Public Awareness
Public awareness campaigns in the USA have been very successful due the striking features, large size and gregarious behaviour of spotted lanternfly. The public can reliably identify fourth instars and adults.
Eradication
Eradication and suppression are being attempted in the USA using a combination of quarantine and chemical and mechanical controls (Dara et al., 2015; Urban, 2020). The original methodology by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture utilized trap trees of Ailanthus altissima treated with a systemic pesticide, leveraging the preference of spotted lanternfly for this plant in the autumn. This was coupled with removal of other, non-treated A. altissima trees in the area concentrating L. delicatula to these trap trees. However, efforts failed to completely contain the pest and it has continued to spread across the Mid-Atlantic. Treatment efforts have continued to be modified transitioning to target more species of trees, different chemical products and different application methods.
Other eradication methods that are coupled with chemical controls included egg mass scraping to manually destroy eggs, sanitation of waste products that might harbour egg mass by chipping landscape waste or incinerating green wastes, and banding trees and posts with adhesive tape.
Chemical Control
A variety of chemicals have been shown to have some control (Leach et al., 2019). Chlorpyrifos was most effective for egg masses with rates of 100% mortality. Nymphs and adults were susceptible to multiple classes of insecticides including carbamates, organophosphates, neonicotinoids and pyrethroids, with differing classes having variable residual control. Additional control with fungal pathogens is also being examined using Beauveria bassiana and Batkoa major (Urban, 2020).
Monitoring and Surveillance (Incl. Remote Sensing)
Passive survey tools involve tree bands, which are glue-coated sheets of paper wrapped around the trunks of host trees or vineyard posts. These capture spotted lanternfly migrating across the host tree trapping it on the sticky surface. Proper installation should be taken to ensure that bycatch, especially of vertebrates, is limited to minimize impacts to the environment and for positive public relations. Pheromone trapping and other methods of baited traps have had limited success currently using methyl salicylate, (Z)-3-hexenol and (E,E)-alpha-farnesene (Cooperband et al., 2019). Physical traps using lures that have been effective are modified pecan weevil trap, or circle trunk trap, which have been effective in areas at high density (Nixon et al., 2020).
Gaps in Knowledge/Research Needs
There is a need for detection tools that can be deployed at low density infestations that can reliably capture L. delicatula or signs of. Currently, tools are limited and the lack of specific pheromones (which are unknown in Fulgoroidea) or chemical attractants, means trapping lacks a level of specificity (Derstine et al., 2020; Urban, 2020). Environmental DNA is being developed for spotted lantern fly, though it has not been widely deployed (Valentin et al., 2020).
Basic biological information is required on the behaviour, host use patterns and range, movement in the environment, dispersal mechanisms, reproductive and fecundity limits and population dynamics of L. delicatula. Prior to its introduction to Korea, there was limited information on the biology of L. delicatula in the native range. The host range is likely to expand in number as L. delicatula moves south and westwards in the USA and encounters more temperate and tropical potential hosts. Additionally, host risk assessment for other suitable habitats such as the western USA, Europe, Africa and Australia would also be beneficial if the pest arrives (Jung et al., 2017).
Additionally, understanding the host requirements for development of L. delicatula will be important in both survey, detection and control. Ambiguity still exists on what hosts, if any, are critical for their complete development and better understanding of this will influence future predictions of the possible spread and introduction of spotted lantern fly (Uyi et al., 2020).
Understanding the behaviours of L. delicatula in the environment, at both low and high population density, will be valuable in determining the risk of spread accidentally (Baker et al., 2019). The heterogenous presence of spotted lantern fly in the environment also provides challenges in making management decisions and ensuring negative detections. Adults, when at higher density start making dispersal flights which can place them in situations where they may be transported long distances, i.e. train cars, truck beds, planes, or other conveyances (Baker et al., 2019. By understanding when these conditions arise, cultural changes to business and lifestyle practices can be implemented to limit the chance of long-distance dispersal.
Treatment methods for control and eradication with limited non-target effects will be of interest if chemical controls continue to be a tool used in current infestations or if the pest is discovered elsewhere (Leach et al., 2020). Current treatments focus on introduced hosts, Ailanthus altissima, which have limited uses for native, non-target species. However, now that L. delicatula is known not to be required for development, this strategy should be re-evaluated for efficacy (Uyi et al., 2020).
Biocontrol for long term management will be crucial as current methods of control are costly, time and labour intensive, and limited in scope. Passive methods of specific biocontrol will need to be developed to control outbreak populations as it spreads across the USA. While natural predators and introduced parasitoids have been found to attack L. delicatula, they probably will have minimal effect as generalists (Barringer and Smyers, 2016; Liu, 2019).
Links to Websites
Name | URL | Comment |
---|---|---|
FLOW: Fulgoromorpha Lists On the Web | http://www.hemiptera-databases.org/flow/ | A knowledge and a taxonomy database dedicated to planthoppers (Insecta, Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Fulgoroidea) |
StopSLF.org | Stopslf.org | Biology, ecology, and management of spotted lanternfly in US specialty crops |
USDA Spotted Lanternfly | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/slf/spotted-lanternfly |
Organizations
Name | Address | Country | URL |
---|---|---|---|
United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | USDA APHIS 4700 River Road Riverdale, MD 20737 USA | USA | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home/ |
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- Phillip Lewis, Amanda Davila-Flores, Emily Wallis, An effective trap for spotted lanternfly egg masses, Frontiers in Insect Science, 10.3389/finsc.2023.1154510, 3, (2023).
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