09/07/2026
🌼🌿 Nature’s Solution to Spotted Lanternfly 🌿🌼
Spotted lanternfly eggs arrived about a decade ago on a stone shipment from Asia. Since then these invasive insects have spread through parts of North America while causing damage and death to fruit trees, grapes, and hardwood trees. Lanternflies are related to aphids and mealybugs - they feed by sucking up nutritious plant sap, slowly starving the host plant. Young plants or smaller plants like grapevines may be killed by a single season of feeding by dense infestations, while larger, more established plants like trees will suffer some dieback, with repeated infestations potentially killing them. Secondary consequences of lanternfly feeding can also cause problems. Lanternflies excrete a sticky liquid called honeydew. This liquid promotes black sooty mold that blocks sunlight from reaching leaves, weakening the plant. Many people have already experienced these pests while others anticipate their arrival and are worried about what to do. While it’s fine to swat them there is still controversy about sprays, and it might be best to just leave them alone and let nature do the heavy lifting.
It has been reported that following a large infestation, lanternfly populations taper off within three years. The reason for this steep population decline seems to be a multi-front attack from nature. Unlike prickly Spongy Moth caterpillars, birds, especially robins and catbirds, find lanternflies tasty and will readily consume them. Frogs, toads and spiders have also been seen dining on them. Being culinary treats for wildlife certainly helps keep the numbers in check, but more is afoot in the bigger picture of our environment.
The most effective controls seem to be two native soil borne fungi, Batkoa major and Beauveria bassiana. These fungi infect and kill lanternflies in large numbers quickly.
Batkoa major attacks lanternflies that cluster high up on tree trunks. Once infected they shed spores downward, creating a cascading infection among the dense swarms of lanternflies below.
Beauveria bassiana primarily targets and infects fallen or lower-dwelling lanternflies on the ground.
In both cases, the fungal spores land on the lanternfly's outer shell (the exoskeleton) and then germinate. This releases enzymes that break through the insect's tough outer body; and once inside, the fungus grows and feeds on the lanternfly's internal fluids, destroying its organs and killing the insect within a few days.
After death, a fuzzy white or grayish fungal growth erupts from the cadaver to release new spores and the cycle continues until the lanternfly population crashes with few left to lay their eggs.
And just to note before I get comments, I know there is also a lot of social media talk about lanternflies being killed by milkweed. And yes, the plant seems to be toxic to lanternflies. However, it's not a preferred host plant and given a choice they will feed on other species, with Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and grapes (Vitaceae) being two of their favorites. Studies are still ongoing, but if you want to plant more milkweed in the hope of killing lanternflies, at the very least you will be providing more habitat for monarch butterflies. 🦋
