Join the Hunt for Spotted Lanternfly Eggs!
Adult Spotted Lanternfly (SPF) have died off, but now is the time to destroy the next generation that may be hiding all over your property! Find and destroy them to get ahead of next season’s outbreak.
What can they attach to? Spotted lanternfly egg masses are extremely versatile and can be found attached to any surface. And, because they blend in, it makes them easy to transport and hard to identify. Below is a sample of the surfaces that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recommends checking before moving them from a quarantined area:
- Recreational or Camping Items – Backpacks, basketball backboards, bikes, boats & trailers, campers, motorcycles, motorhomes, RV’s, snowmobiles, sport equipment, tarps & tents. Be sure to include vehicle surfaces and wheel wells.
- Outdoor Household Items – Barrels, plant containers, firewood, propane or oil tanks, trash cans, storage sheds, shutters, screen doors and windows, awnings & outdoor furniture
- Building Materials – Bricks/cinder blocks, cement mixing tubs, buckets, lumber, roofing materials & pipe.
- Yard and Garden Items – Dog houses, rabbit sheds, chicken coops, grills, carts, cold frames, fencing, yard decorations, garden tools, signs & posts, lawnmowers, trees, shrubs and plants, playhouses, swing sets & trampolines.
What do the egg masses look like? 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
If you saw adult spotted lantern flies on your trees and bushes, there is a good chance that they left behind eggs masses. The best way to find these egg masses is to look up into your trees, especially on the underside of limbs and on the upright surfaces. The egg masses look like a mud smear as pictured above. Once you’ve identified a spotted lanternfly egg mass, follow these steps to destroy it:
- Get a plastic card or putty knife to scrape egg masses off of the surface completely.
- 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.
For more information: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-for-residents