invasive insects

Spotted Lanternfly Moves Into New Areas This Year

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spotted lanternflies
Adult and 4th Instar Juvenile Spotted Lanternflies. Photo: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) arrived in Maryland last year. These invasive insects are being controlled now in 15 sites in Cecil County and several in Harford County. The Maryland Department of Agriculture has expanded its survey sites along the Pennsylvania and Delaware borders to monitor for this pest. They also are surveying in Washington County since Route 81 goes through there. A Spotted Lanternfly infestation was found along Route 81 in Winchester, Virginia.

The map below shows (in blue) where state quarantines for Spotted Lanternfly are in effect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. Permits are required for any commercial or university vehicles doing business in the quarantine zone or passing through quarantine areas. Here is a link to the Pennsylvania permit page. Maryland has reciprocity with Pennsylvania for permits.

map showing spotted lanternfly distribution

This is a potentially very devastating pest that has over 70 host plants including vegetables, garden plants, many trees, and especially invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) which it may need to feed on to complete its life cycle. Lanternfly adults are very active now and are in the process of laying eggs. Please be vigilant and report any sightings to the Maryland Department of Agriculture at Dontbug.MD@Maryland.gov.

adult spotted lanternflies and an egg mass
Adult Spotted Lanternflies and an Egg Mass. Photo: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

For the latest information, check out Penn State Extension’s website on Spotted Lanternfly. They are the leader in research on this pest and have excellent information, photos, and videos.

By Mary Kay Malinoski, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center

Q&A: What Is Causing Trees to Lose Their Bark?

Maryland Grows1 Comment

Several observations of tree bark damage like this have been reported to the University of Maryland Extension’s Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) recently. 

Q: I was walking in the woods near my house and noticed bark trimmed off a tree. It looked like a buck rubbing with their antlers, but it was up high, about 10 feet. A couple weeks later, I was in my back yard and noticed the same thing on one of my trees. Can someone please help me figure out what is going on? Thanks!

A: This looks like damage from woodpecker feeding. Judging from the bark pattern of the tree, this looks like an ash tree. Many ashes in Maryland are becoming infested with the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB). Taking a close look at the photo, it appears there are borer holes in the trunk where the bark was removed. The EAB larvae that feed on the nutrient transporting layers under the bark are a good food source for birds such as woodpeckers. This woodpecker impact is being seen and reported more and more frequently.

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Spotted Lanternfly: A New Invasive Pest That is Too Close for Comfort

Maryland Grows4 Comments
spotted lanternfly adult
Spotted Lanterfly Adult. Photo: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an insect native to China that was first detected in Southeastern Pennsylvania in September 2014.  It has spread fairly rapidly since then. There were recent finds in Delaware and New York. Both were dead individual adults.

spotted lanternfly quarantin map of pennsylvania november 2017
A quarantine is in place in several counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania to restrict the spread of Spotted Lanternfly. Source: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

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