— Tucker Smith, Guest Contributor
Spotted lanternflies are back for the summer. You may remember hearing about these pesky invasive insects in one of last year’s Nature News articles. Since then, their population has continued to grow in New York. Read more to find out how Friends of Rye Nature Center has been dealing with these pests and to learn how to help the fight against spotted lanternflies.
Spotted Lanternflies at the Rye Nature Center
This winter, FRNC hired trained dogs from Working Dogs 4 Conservation to sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs so that the egg sacs could be eliminated before they hatched.
FRNC’s conservation team also implemented a trap tree system. To minimize a next generation of trees of heaven, they cut down the park’s female Trees of Heaven (an invasive plant and spotted lanternflies’ preferred food source) and left only a few male trees. The spotted lanternflies then flocked to those trees, allowing the conservation team to exterminate them. Very few other insects make use of Tree of Heaven, so the conservation team can safely set up traps on the trees without inflicting harm on other insect species.
FRNC has also partnered with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) to trap spotted lanternflies. You may have seen some of the traps on our property while you were walking the trails.
Beyond the Nature Center
To prevent the further spread of spotted lanternflies, the DEC is working with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, and the US Department of Agriculture to inspect transported goods and conduct trapping surveys.
A spotted lanternfly egg mass. Photo Credit: Kenneth R. Law, dec.ny.gov
Want to help battle the spotted lanternfly invasion? The DEC and other experts recommend destroying spotted lanternflies’ egg masses, which is the best way to reduce the population. Egg masses can be scaly or brownish-gray and mud-like. If you spot eggs, smashing them should be enough to destroy them. If you want to be extra diligent, scrape the egg mass into a container of hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol. You can also make your own spotted lanternfly traps! Click here for instructions.
Visit last year’s article on spotted lanternflies to learn more about their lifecycle and the ecological threats they pose.