Pest on crop
Spotted Lanternfly on apple
Lycorma delicatula
Invasive planthopper from Asia first detected in Pennsylvania 2014, now spreading through the Eastern US. Direct feeding weakens trees; honeydew supports sooty mold and reduces fruit quality.
- Pest
- Spotted Lanternfly
- Scientific name
- Lycorma delicatula
- Crop
- Apple
- Total hosts
- 6
Spotted Lanternfly on apple
Detailed guidance for this section is being prepared. Check back soon.
Signs on apple
- ▸ Distinctive black-spotted gray adults with red hindwings (visible when they jump or fly)
- ▸ Black or gray nymphs (early instars) or red-and-black nymphs (late instars)
- ▸ Sticky honeydew on trunks and surrounding foliage
- ▸ Sooty mold on honeydew
- ▸ Egg masses (smudged gray, mud-like) on smooth bark and outdoor surfaces
IPM controls
- ✓ Scrape and destroy egg masses October through May (each contains 30-50 eggs)
- ✓ Trunk traps with sticky bands inverted to catch climbing nymphs
- ✓ Targeted insecticide treatment of nearby Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus) host trees
- ✓ Report sightings to state agriculture department in newly-infested areas (quarantine programs)
- ✓ Tolerate light populations on landscape trees if not affecting orchard crops
Other crops affected by spotted lanternfly
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