Farm Bureau Advises Vigilance as Spotted Lantern Flies Lay Eggs

 By Karl Lengel

The Delaware Farm Bureau urges the public to remain vigilant when it comes to the spotted lanternfly.

The spotted lanternfly has been found in all three Delaware counties and can do serious damage to a host of plants, trees and crops. Heavy populations of feeding lanternflies can cause branch dieback, wilting, or plant death.

The invasive species is particularly destructive to tree-of-heaven, grapes, apples, stone fruits, walnuts, willows, and maples.

September is usually when lanternflies start laying their eggs - and so the Farm Bureau says killing them before they do and destroying any eggs when found is critical to limiting their impact in the First State.

The Farm Bureau’s Jenn Antonik adds finding and reporting spotted lanternflies is critical to limiting their impact.