Critters - the bad

I am typically the absolute last one in my family to kill an insect. (Except for that one spider that I tortured during COVID (Give me a break, I spent most of my days dodging 3 family members screens for work & school). However, we now have discovered that Spotted Lantern Flies have been enjoying our maples this fall, and they are very destructive to the abundant Wine Grape Crops in our area. If I don’t watch out, they will also damage many things on our own property, including our future garden plans (and so much for our plans for a personal wine grape crop). Here is the current problem - we can’t see if they have already laid their eggs and are dying off as temperatures are dropping, or if they were in the process of doing so. So, to be blunt, they had to go. When at their peak, these guys can easily escape your attempts to lessen their numbers, but since the cold was setting in and they were close to death - most were easy to destroy.

But……since they aren’t moving as quickly, why not document them up close since they are in fact quite stunning (and creepy at the same time). Knowing the more that I kill, the less eggs there will be in the spring kept me going, BUT whatever you do, do not look up the trunk of the tree, or at the leaves on each branch. You will be disheartened at all of the ones that are out of reach and probably laying little masses of 30-50 eggs and taunting you as you crush their cohorts within arms-reach. According to the link I supplied above, I now need to target the egg masses (within reach) and be ready for the arrival of their beautiful speckled black and white nymphs in the spring, and take action with sticky tape and more. I’ll be ready.

*Loads of Spotted Lantern Flies were harmed in this process out of necessity.

*I’ve included more photos of them in my gallery (BEFORE their inevitable demise)