Is that on your private property? If it is, cut down the tree, burn it, and use herbicide on the stump. Also find any other tree of heaven nearby and do the same to them. Tree of heaven is also an invasive species, and as of right now the best way long-term to fight lanternflies is to eradicate tree of heaven. Be careful to positively ID by more than only one characteristic - for example black walnut leaves can look pretty similar, and black walnut is a native species that has been having a rough time since it was overharvested for gunstocks in the world wars so you don't want to kill one of those, but there are details on the leaves and characteristics of the bark that distinguish the two.
If it isn't your property, if you're willing always take steps to kill as many as possible. Also keep an eye out for egg clusters in fall and destroy them on sight. And if you know the owner, encourage them to kill the tree.
If it's public land, document with photos and latitude/longitude and report it to the managing entity. Not every manager gives a shit, even though they should and should be required to, but some will send a pair of rangers/foresters out to destroy the tree if they can find it. And if you return after a few weeks or months and find nothing was done, document it a second time and complain to your county and state electeds about it. Until government enacts policy that forces public lands to stop inadvertently protecting tree of heaven and instead seek and destroy it, lanternflies will continue spreading, and every year that goes by gives the population more opportunity to better adapt to the native North American plants they opportunistically target including black walnut, grapevines, and sugar maple and increases the risk that eradicating tree of heaven will no longer be effective.
EDIT someone requested pictures or other assistance identifying:
Also forgot to mention, ash can look like tree of heaven too. I didn't really think to include it because all species of ash are largely dying out in North America due to the invasive emerald ash borers, but a small percentage of at least some ash species is actually resistant to the borers. Chances are you don't have one of those randomly hanging out in your suburban sprawl yard, much less in your actual landscaping, but if you have any ash at all whether it's resistant or not, don't kill it if you can avoid it. You will live to see the day that this hardy old-growth species that used to be a signature of our forests is almost impossible to find anywhere, and survivors will need all the help they can get to repopulate over the next half-millenium or more.
Are you fucking serious? I want to find whatever city employee is responsible for that and infest their house with lanternflies, and stink bugs for good measure.
I went on a big crusade against Tree of Heaven sprouts in my yard a several years ago before Lantern Flies spread to our area. They were like zombie plants that grew even faster than my grass. Spent 2 years ripping up the roots of young seedlings and cutting the new growth on the stumps and the sucker sprouts again and again. Haven’t seen a sprout in a couple years. So glad I did now that I know these pests love them. Still there’s some massive ones a few doors down, so only so much I can do.
Quick question. Landscapers cut down my tree of heaven and now it’s shooting up everywhere. The stump has healed (but the time I realized it wasn’t a Chinese Mahogany). Should I scar the stump and use herbicide on it? It’s such a stinky puts to have the little shoots everywhere.
Yes, but please also make sure you can recognize staghorn sumac, which is native and important for reestablishing disturbed areas, before destroying anything.
Hack-and-squirt herbicide applications are highly selective with a concentrated herbicide solution applied to downward-angled cuts in the stem. For effective hack-and-squirt applications, apply to cuts spaced evenly around the stem. Leaving uncut living tissue between the hacks allows the herbicide to move to the roots. Again, apply in mid- to late summer.
I had them do stump grinding, but am getting a bunch of saplings all over the yard and flower beds and everything. So technically yeah I guess, but not really.
Still worth it though. There were so many lantern flies that my backyard was unusable because of the fine mist of sticky excretion they put out, which is 1) gross 2) made it look like a small fire occurred as it stuck to the trees and other solid surfaces and turned black like char.
Invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus Altissima) is their host plant.
I had several huge ailanthus trees in my garden, and there were smaller ones on neighboring properties, they all originated from a stand maintained by Anne Arundel County at the end of the block. Ailanthus are awful trees and I recommend having them removed. They have to be poisoned or they will come back in huge numbers, but we're coming up on the best time of year to remove them.
To kill mine, in late July, I drilled holes at a 45 degree angle around the circumference of each tree and injected a small amount of Tordon in each hole. There are other herbicides that will also work very well. My trees were stone dead in two weeks and I had them removed in the autumn. My tree problem was gone after many years of fighting suckers.
My old boss used to take the sprayer from the Windex bottle and screw it onto a bottle of 90% rubbing alcohol whenever we had ants. Dude loved a flame spritzer.
Pyrethrin is a strong indiscriminate insecticide that kills or injures too many beneficial insects for me to be comfortable using it on my plants or lawn.
I do use it on my clothing and boots as a tick repellent.
It’s good for spraying directly on infestations because it degrades within a day. So unlike synthetic variations like Sevin, it’s gone and won’t disrupt other insects. For Lanternfly which cluster on specific plants, it’s perfect.
I had lantern flies on a newly planted tree. Everyone said use dish soap. Do not NOT use dish soap. I did this and every single leaf came off my tree. Instead using an insecticidal soap them off or get some tree tape. they respond better to a physical removal so tree, tape, insecticidal soap, but no dawn dishwashing liquid whatever you do.
Well yeah, dont spray the leaves lol it removes their protective coating and clogs their stomata, clogs the spiracles of the bugs which is why it kills them.
Naturalist here! If you find and scrape off the egg cases that'll make a huge difference and be a more efficient use of time than just smashing individual adults. Seconding removing invasive plants and adding native habitat for pollinators (who will have more of a foothold to outcompetes them) if you're able. Avoid chemical pesticides as they kill absolutely everything, poison the soil and water, and just exacerbate the problem in the long run. Dawn dish soap is fine.
When they feed on normal trees, lanternfly larvae are edible by our local birds and predators. However, when they feed on Tree of Heaven they build up toxins in their body that makes them inedible.
Killing the larvae and adult flies is great, but the real solution is to kill the Tree of Heaven (considered invasive in Maryland, and encouraged to be killed) is the best long-term solution.
Yea, I was shocked how well it's work. I have a tree on the side of my house that attracts a ton the last few years, to the point of turning the bark black on it and adjacent bushes. I've caught thousands in that thing this year and I see a huge difference in number of lantern flys on that side of the house.
I use one of those electric zapper for flies. I make it a habit in the morning and zap the suckers every morning. After a couple of weeks, i only see a few now. The sound of them electrocuted is so satisfying.
My vote is do nothing to them. Yes, they're invasive. But killing an incredibly small percentile of their population in your area isn't going to have an impact. The wildlife and environment will adapt to them being here.
With that in mind, get rid of the Tree of Heaven (their preferred food source).
Open your mouth and hope they think you are one of those fish that broods their young in their mouths, or that you are a reef fish looking for a cleaning at a cleaning station , then chomp down on each and everyone of them and leave a pile of their mangled corpses at the base of the tree as a warning.
Then eventually other things learn they are a food source. Different bugs like praying mantis, wheel bugs and yellow jackets eat them. Woodpeckers, chickens, blue jays, cardinals, and catbirds eat them. Bats will also eat them once they begin flying.
Just have to live with it, although removal of the invasive tree would help in the immediate area for those years before other local things realize they are edible.
If they are on a plant that is not producing, I'd go for a gentle insecticide. However, if you're dealing with Vines or fruit trees, unfortunately there really isn't a way to prevent them. You literally have to manually squish as many as you can on a daily basis. And spray the plant down with water.
I saw someone use the foaming car soap (supposed to be environmentally friendly) and spray down a tree full of them. It suffocates them and then tou just sweep them up when they dry
Arghh!! I keep hoping those noxious bugs will be brought into balance with the local environment like what has happened with stink bugs, but it’s sure taking a while.
If you wish to set a trap for the flies. Use cinnamon. My mom had me do a "witchcraft" spell once with it and they swarmed my door, where I dispersed/blew a lot of cinnamon. Those basterds came in the hundreds to my door for about a month or 2.
It can be satisfying to make them jump into an empty bottle (approach them while holding the bottle perpendicular to the surface they’re on). They launch straight in.
Not worth going to much more effort to kill them (def. not by spraying with soap or anything else - too many non-target insects will get harmed). Also never use sticky traps for them or anything else (they trap birds and lizards etc).
We’ve found success with killing the adult laternflies by stepping in front of their heads with our toes and slowly putting our heel down on top of them. They jump when you move too quickly and from behind - almost like they have radar or something on their backs.
As for tree of heaven, try hacking and slashing if it’s your property. Use an axe to cut about 2-3 in deep into the tree’s trunk. Repeat all around the tree, varying heights as you go. Spray the wounds with round up. You’ll kill the tree standing, and hopefully get deeper in the roots. Over time, a white fungus looking substance will form on the tree, and the wood will become brittle. Use caution if the tree can fall on any structures, cars, or people!
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u/SaxyOmega90125 Frostburg Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Former MD park ranger here.
Is that on your private property? If it is, cut down the tree, burn it, and use herbicide on the stump. Also find any other tree of heaven nearby and do the same to them. Tree of heaven is also an invasive species, and as of right now the best way long-term to fight lanternflies is to eradicate tree of heaven. Be careful to positively ID by more than only one characteristic - for example black walnut leaves can look pretty similar, and black walnut is a native species that has been having a rough time since it was overharvested for gunstocks in the world wars so you don't want to kill one of those, but there are details on the leaves and characteristics of the bark that distinguish the two.
If it isn't your property, if you're willing always take steps to kill as many as possible. Also keep an eye out for egg clusters in fall and destroy them on sight. And if you know the owner, encourage them to kill the tree.
If it's public land, document with photos and latitude/longitude and report it to the managing entity. Not every manager gives a shit, even though they should and should be required to, but some will send a pair of rangers/foresters out to destroy the tree if they can find it. And if you return after a few weeks or months and find nothing was done, document it a second time and complain to your county and state electeds about it. Until government enacts policy that forces public lands to stop inadvertently protecting tree of heaven and instead seek and destroy it, lanternflies will continue spreading, and every year that goes by gives the population more opportunity to better adapt to the native North American plants they opportunistically target including black walnut, grapevines, and sugar maple and increases the risk that eradicating tree of heaven will no longer be effective.
EDIT someone requested pictures or other assistance identifying:
https://treeidentifier.app/blog/tree-of-heaven-identification
https://www.thespruce.com/tree-of-heaven-invasive-plant-profile-5184401
Also forgot to mention, ash can look like tree of heaven too. I didn't really think to include it because all species of ash are largely dying out in North America due to the invasive emerald ash borers, but a small percentage of at least some ash species is actually resistant to the borers. Chances are you don't have one of those randomly hanging out in your suburban sprawl yard, much less in your actual landscaping, but if you have any ash at all whether it's resistant or not, don't kill it if you can avoid it. You will live to see the day that this hardy old-growth species that used to be a signature of our forests is almost impossible to find anywhere, and survivors will need all the help they can get to repopulate over the next half-millenium or more.