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This summer we had to endure a pest that has become a major problem. If all of us don’t do our part, it will be much worse next year.

While it is just a nuisance when seen and is easily swatted away or squashed, it’s the damage we don’t see it doing that requires it be kept in check.

Now is the time to fight back and launch our counter-offensive.

Let’s do our part to control the spotted lanternfly. The weather has reached freezing temperatures and with the adult spotted lanternfly now dead, we might forget that we need to reduce their numbers for next year.

They threaten billions of economic impact and hundreds of thousands of jobs for those in the grapes, apple, hops, and hardwood industries.

Though the adults are gone, they have left behind egg masses.These will hatch nymphs that will eventually become adults next year, which will again attack trees and crops throughout Pennsylvania in greater number. Egg masses play a critical role in the species’ survival and advancement.

From September to June, identifying and destroying spotted lanternfly egg masses is crucial to stopping the spread of the invasive pest.

These egg masses can contain up to 50 spotted lanternfly eggs and destroying only one can amount to eliminating more adults next year, than you killed this past summer.

It requires putting aside some time to check your property and everything outside. Not only trees, but also yard decorations, shed walls, fences, and your house foundation, to name only a few. Items you may have recently put into storage should be given an inspection. That splatter of mud on your wheelbarrow or shovel may not be mud.

Spotted lanternfly egg masses

Spotted lanternfly egg masses are extremely versatile. Not only can they attach to almost any surface, but they can also blend in on almost any surface. This makes them easy to transport and hard to identify. If you use a wood burning fireplace, you should be especially cautious purchasing wood this winter, as it’s one of the easiest ways to unintentionally bring in spotted lanternfly egg masses.

What can they attach to?

Spotted lanternfly egg masses can be found on virtually any outdoor surface. For unknown reasons they also have a penchant for rusted surfaces. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recommends checking the following surfaces for egg masses:

Recreational or Camping Items

• Backpacks
• Basketball backboards
• Bicycles
• Boats/Boat trailers
• Campers
• Ice chests
• Motorcycles
• Motorhomes
• Recreational vehicles
• Snowmobiles
• Tarps
• Tents

 

Outdoor Household Items

• Barrels
• Cardboard or wooden boxes
• Outdoor poles
• Plant containers
• Firewood
• Propane or oil tanks
• Trash cans
• Refrigerators/Freezers
• Storage sheds
• Shutters
• Storm/Screen doors and windows
• Window awnings
• Outdoor furniture

 

Building Materials

• Bricks/Cinder blocks
• Cement mixing tubs
• Lumber
• Roofing materials
• Tools and toolboxes
• Workbenches
• Skidsters/Forklifts
• Pipes

 

Yard and Garden Items

• Dog houses
• Barbecue grills
• Carts
• Cold frames
• Fencing
• Garden tillers
• Yard decorations
• Garden tools
• Backhoes
• Lawnmowers
• Signs and posts
• Storage sheds
• Tractors and trailers
• Trees, shrubs and plants

 

Children’s Playthings

• Playhouses
• Kiddie pools
• Bicycles, scooters
• Sandboxes
• Swing sets
• Trampolines

In addition to these outdoor items, you should check your vehicle. Egg masses can hide underneath your car or in your wheel well.

Identifying spotted lanternfly egg masses

Spotted lanternfly egg masses look like unevenly-spread mortar smeared on almost any outdoor surface. The egg masses contain 30-50 eggs and are protected with a mud-like covering, giving them their grey color and cracked-mortar appearance. These eggs masses can be found and destroyed from late September to June.

Removing and destroying egg masses

Once you’ve identified a spotted lanternfly egg mass, follow these steps to destroy it:

1. Get a plastic card or putty knife to scrape egg masses off of the surface completely.
2. Scrape egg masses into a bag or container filled with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. You may also smash or burn the egg masses once they’ve been removed, but rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer have been the most effective for destroying them.