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The “Hunt” Is On For Spotted Lanternfies

Resources: Community, Tree Problems

It’s official, researchers at Virginia Tech spotted the first Spotted Lanternfly egg hatch for 2020 on April 22nd. This means that homeowners throughout DC, MD, and VA should start to keep an eye out for Spotted Lanternfly nymphs on their trees, shrubs, and vines in the upcoming weeks. Read on to learn what the Spotted Lanternfly is, how it damages plants, and how you as a homeowner can help us track the spread of this invasive insect!

What is the Spotted Lanternfly?

Spotted lanternfly

The Spotted Lanternfly is one of the newest invasive insects in our area. Native to China, India, and Vietnam, this insect has been spreading throughout the Eastern United States since it was first discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. This pest poses a great threat to agricultural crops, forests, and high-value ornamentals. Since its discovery, there have been multiple quarantines in place for firewood and products shipped from Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, this has not stopped the spotted lanternfly from spreading to other eastern states. In January 2018, the first lanternflies were found in the greater D.C. region.

Like most plant-sucking insects, the Spotted Lanternfly feeds on the sap from the stems and leaves of trees, shrubs, and vines. This weakens the tree/shrub; attracts other insects, diseases, and fungi; and can eventually contribute to the plant’s death. 

Susceptible Species

As nymphs, the Spotted Lanternfly targets grapes, apples, stone fruits, pines, maple, willow, poplar, multiflora rose, sumac, poison ivy, grapevines, and the tree of heaven (Ailanthus). As an adult, the spotted lanternfly mainly feeds on the Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven).

Since this insect loves to feed on fruit trees and grapevines while in their nymph stage, local orchards and wineries could be devastated by this pest. These industries are already taking precautions to protect their plants from these pests, if you have susceptible species on your property or live near an orchard/winery you should too.

Signs & Symptoms

  • Weeping wounds/dark streaks down the bark of the tree
  • A sap-like substance at the base of the tree
  • Black fungus at the base of the tree (sooty mold)
  • Increased bee, ant, and wasp activity
  • Eggs, Nymphs, or Adult insects on the tree
  • Leaves wilting

Treatment for Spotted Lanternflies

Since this pest is new to the United States, researches, government departments, nurseries, and the tree care industry, are all working together to determine the best course of action to treat infected trees and limit the spread of the Spotted Lanternfly. As of today, the best prevention/treatment includes proactive removal of the Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven), egg mass removal, and insecticides. Learn more about treatment.

We Need Your Help!

Join the Spotted Lanternfly “hunt” and help us and the arboriculture community track these insects as they begin to ramp up populations in the DC Metro Area! If you spot an insect or an egg mass that looks like the pictures below, take a quick picture and send it to us at info@rtectreecare.com.

If you submit a picture to us we will confirm the identification of the insect, share it in our newsletter, and send the information to various colleges and institutes around the area that are studying the spread of the Spotted Lanternfly!

How to Identify a Spotted Lanternfly

Spotted lanternflies look very different depending on what stage of their lifecycle they are in. Take a look at the images below to see what Spotted Laternflies look like at every stage.

Now that you know what a Spotted Lanternfly looks like and the negative impact they can have on our local environment/agriculture, keep an eye out and your phones handy to snap a photo of any Spotted Lanternfly you come across.

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Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
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Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
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We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
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We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
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David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
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We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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