Spotted Lanternfly: Identification and Control

The invasive Spotted Lanternfly is likely to become an unwanted resident in Arlington or Alexandria this year. This pest is making its way south from Pennsylvania, east from Winchester, Virginia, and west from Maryland. Join Kirsten Conrad, Extension Agent for Arlington and City of Alexandria, to learn how to recognize this insect, what to do if you see one, how to report it, and how to manage the damage that it may cause to your landscape and fruit crops.

Zoom session, recorded April 8, 2022

Chapter Breaks

00:00 Introduction
01:28 Significance of the Spotted Lanternfly
10:06 Hosts
23:48 Questions
25:50 Life Cycle
39:17 Questions
41:50 Controls and What You Can Do
48:08 Extension Resources
52:39 What Other Agencies in VA are Doing
58:40 How to Report Sightings
1:00:53 Final Questions and Conclusion

Above, a spotted lanternfly visits a log in Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County, Pa., on Oct. 5, 2018. (Photo by Caitlyn Johnstone/Chesapeake Bay Program) — Above, a spotted lanternfly visits a log in Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County, Pa. 2018.
(Photo by Caitlyn Johnstone/Chesapeake Bay Program)

Additional Resources

Reporting Spotted Lanternfly Sightings in Arlington And Alexandria

Use this form to report sightings: https://vce.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cDOH8Vei9fHWOG
Or send queries to: mgarlalex@gmail.com
Submit physical samples to VCE at 3308 S. Stafford St. Arlington VA 22206
The Virginia Tech ID Lab requires a physical sample from agent. Virginia Tech will notify Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesVDACS and forward the sample to the USDA for official confirmation

Virginia Resources

A side-top view of an adult spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) on a wooden rail. — A side-top view of an adult spotted lanternfly (*Lycorma delicatula*) on a wooden rail. 2019.
Walthery, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ailanthus Control Methods: Removing Tree of Heaven. 2021. Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).
Climate. National Weather Service.
Click on Virginia on map to access past climate and GDD data.
Online Phenology and Degree-day Models. Oregon IPM Center at Oregon State University.
Mobile-enabled interface to over 130 degree-day/phenology models and calculator.
Quarantines in Virginia. on SLF, Red Imported Fire Ant, Spongy Moth, and Thousand Cankers Disease
Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma Delicatula). 2022. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).
Spotted lanternfly identification, management and treatment, and quarantine and permit information.
Spotted Lanternfly in Virginia. 2022 Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension
Site contains resources on identification and look-alikes, life cycle calendar, control methods, and quarantine information.
Spotted Lanternfly in Virginia. 2022. Virginia Tech Department of Entomology
2022 Citizen Scientist Detection Program for Spotted Lanternfly in Virginia – Training Videos.
Spotted Lanternfly Treatment Program Information. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).
Spotted Lanternfly. 2022.Forest Management and Health. Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) 2nd and 3rd instar nymph (black), 4th instar nymph (red body) in Pennsylvania, 2018. USDA-ARS Photo by Stephen Ausmus. — Spotted lanternfly (*Lycorma delicatula*) 2nd and 3rd instar nymph (black), 4th instar nymph (red body) in Pennsylvania, 2018. USDA-ARS Photo by Stephen Ausmus.

Other Resources

Barringer, L., & Ciafré, C. 2020. Spotted Lanternfly Plant Usage in North America. Environmental Entomology. doi:10.1093/ee/nvaa093
Leach, Heather, L. Spotted Lanternfly Management Resources. 2020. Penn State Extension.
Spotted Lanternfly. 2022.New York State Integrated Pest Management. Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Spotted Lanternfly Dashboard. 2021. iEcoLab at Temple University
StopSLF.org. 2022. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Biology, ecology, and management of spotted lanternfly in US specialty crops.