I know I hope they never make it to Canada , though at the rate they’re spreading, it seems unlikely we’ll be able to prevent them from doing so eventually. They’re the species Lycorma delicatula.
For a creature that is so destructive they are remarkably colourful and rather attractive.
But they do enormous damage and are a big threat to orchards with stone fruit or apples, vineyards, oak & black walnut trees among many other plants they ruin but apparently their most preferred target is also a native of China, like the lanternfly.
The Tree of Heaven is another Asian invader though it was brought to North America deliberately as an ornamental tree. They grow fast and big and are extremely tough to control and smell terrible if any part of one is damaged or crushed.
It would be so nice if the Spotted Lanternfly would concentrate on killing Tree of Heaven and leave crops and other trees alone.
First found in the US in Pennsylvania in 2014, they’re now in 17 states - pretty scary. It’s a little ironic that they are inept fliers at best, considering the name, but they stick like glue to any surface they land or walk on. Only adults can fly - the nymphs only walk - fairly quickly it would seem.
It helps to scrape egg masses off any surface you see them on - they can be killed by putting them in a plastic bag with hand sanitizer or some kind of alcohol.
Up here we are supposed to inform the authorities if any lanternfly is seen. I’m thinking that if (when) that happens it will already be too late to stop the miserable things.
thing is these are showing up everywhere and in the hundreds!! People are pulling 50-100 out of their pool skimmers. Most still alive.
I bought a big electric fly swatter from Amazon…..it’s like a tennis racquet. It’s called the “Executioner”.
