LANCASTER, Pa. — Spotted lanternflies have made their presence known this summer. Experts said the latest concern is the impact it will have on vineyards, but people are still finding them in their backyards.
Amanda Goldsmith, Spotted Lanternfly Technician at the Lancaster County Conservation District, will tell you there's no shortage of work this summer.
"I've been banding trees with sticky bands all summer and I think I would estimate there's probably 20,000 adult lanternflies on our property," Goldsmith said.
That's at their offices at the Farm and Home Center. But if you're noticing the pests around your home, there are some things you can do to try and stop the spread.
Goldsmith has set up several types of traps, which are specially designed to reduce the chance of larger wildlife getting caught unintentionally.
The first is sticky tape with fiberglass mesh. Wrap the tape about 4 feet up the tree, and put the mesh around the tape.
"As they crawl up the tree because the mesh has such tiny holes they can't get out," Goldsmith said. "So when they try to hop off, the mesh pushes them right back in."
Another one is the jar or bag circle trap. These can be bought or made. They also get wrapped around the tree.
"It goes upright and because there's the mesh wrapped around the entire tree it funnels them into the jar," Goldsmith said. "Or if it's light-duty version it'll funnel them into a bag."
Lastly, there's the bug barrier tree band. It's uses cotton fiber and it wraps around the tree twice using a sticky adhesive facing inward. As spotted lanternflies crawl up the tree, they are blocked by the cotton fiber and get stuck on the adhesive.
"No matter what you have in your backyard, you're going to have lanternflies eventually," Goldsmith said. "So think about that for yourself, but also think about that for your neighbors and your farmer friends and we want to protect the economy."
You can buy the circle trap here.
Here is how you can make the circle trap.
Here is where you can buy the bug barrier tree band.