08/23/2019
Helpful info here...
Quick, easy, cheap, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly ways to kill Lanternfly nymphs for the homeowner with a smallish property.
What to do if you see the nymphs? For large infestations, check in with Penn State for chemical solutions. For the small homeowner and for people who prefer to limit their use of chemicals, we have gathered some very useful and practical advice from folks who have been living with this prolific and destructive bug for a couple of years now. In case you don’t know, the Spotted Lanternfly is from Asia and entered the US a couple of years ago in Berks County. They will eat trees, grapes, hops and almost everything else in their path. One gentleman reported they destroyed his vineyard in two days. They also swarm people, making it difficult to even be outside in infested areas.
Sending big gratitude out to all the generous people who shared their coping mechanisms! Here is a list for how to best deal with the nymphs, which is the current stage of the bugs, shown in the picture below.
If you try any of these methods, PLEASE report back and let us know how it worked for you. We are only just beginning to figure out how to deal with this new bug, so all info is helpful. If you have another method that works, let us know!!!
* Our #1 FAV method -
If the nymphs are on a limb, bend the limb over a margarine-type tub with about one inch of water mixed with vinegar or rubbing alcohol and a sq**rt of dish soap. Hold the lid of the margarine tub on top of the branch. Tap the branch from on top. The nymphs will fall in the soapy water. Slam the lid on. You can catch dozens this way. Remember - never pour the water with soap on the ground. Always pour down the drain.
* Our FAV method for quickly catching large numbers of nymphs in one tree - if you see a number of nymphs in a tree, knock them onto the ground with a forceful stream of water from a hose or pressure washer or broom. Wrap sticky paper around the trunk, and wait a few minutes. The nymphs will make a bee line to climb back up the tree, and they will be trapped on the sticky paper. You can also smush those on the ground while you are waiting, so bring your fly swatter with you. Once you have caught the nymphs, remove and discard the sticky paper. Don't leave the sticky paper unattended or it could harm beneficial insects, birds and wildlife.
* The nymphs climb up trees and fence posts, etc. Using a band of sticky insect paper or inside-out duct tape will catch all of the nymphs – BUT, birds, other wildlife, and beneficial insects can be harmed. Making a wire cage to put around is one way to keep your sticky tape from hurting birds and wildlife.
• Plain Water! One woman tried putting out bowls of water after seeing so many dead lanternflies in her pool, and it worked! She uses all kinds of bowls, plus aluminum foil lasagna pans. She gets many dead lanternflies every day. Another woman reports that a large pan of water on the picnic table with a couple drops of Dawn will draw them to the water and cause them to drown within a couple hours.
• Water again! One woman reports: I actually pressure washed my maple last year to get them off. The tree was fine after; the lanternflies, not so fine.
* If the lanternflies are on w**ds you don't want around anyway (they love wild grape), spray with vinegar. They die instantly, and you might get rid of the w**d, too.
• Vacuum them into a shop vac with warm soapy water in the bucket (people use Dawn), and they will die. If you don’t have a shop vac, you can buy a small one you can put on top of a bucket on Amazon or in many local stores.
• Fly swatters, esp. teams of children carrying fly swatters. We have heard that paying 1 penny per nymph is a great incentive. These bugs jump, so it is hard to whack them. Best method is to come straight at them from in front; they are more likely to jump if you approach from the side or behind. For the techies out there, there are special electric tennis rackets made for this - Zap-It, twin bug zappers – the first zap stops them from flying, then you can squash or zap again-Zappers - Rechargeable Mosquito, Fly Killer and Bug Zapper Racket - 4000 Volt - USB Charging, Super-Bright LED Light to Zap in the Dark, available on Amazon and at Aldi's. If you miss, try your best to follow where the nymph jumped. They jump much more slowly the second and third time.
• Bug Assault is a gun that shoots table salt at close range. It’s meant for small insects like flies, but it works great on lanternflies.
• Common Milkw**d – planting common milkw**d is good for just about everything, including pollinators and bees, as well as being pretty to look at and smelling like a perfume counter. Because eating milkw**d is toxic to most animals and insects, it is only eaten by Monarch butterfly caterpillars and a couple other species, which are immune to the toxin. The lanternflies are from Asia. They are not familiar with our milkw**d, and they eat it and die.
• Rubbing alcohol kills them. If you find them on your deck or a surface, spraying them with rubbing alcohol mixed with water will kill them. The alcohol will then evaporate. Rubbing alcohol is not good for plants, so don’t spray near your garden or on the ground.
Huge gratitude to Chrissy Eff for the perfect nymph pic.
lanternfly -friendly -toxic
