A single-property guide
What the insect is, what a property may show, and how it travels. This is not a treatment protocol, and it is not a promise that the insect will be gone.
Canopy Estates LLC — estate landscape management on Long Island. Long Island, from Kings Point to Montauk, including the North Shore, the South Shore (including Bellport), the Hamptons, and the North Fork. 631-776-4100 · info@canopyestates.co
Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation describes it as feeding mainly on tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, and also on many other plants, including grapevines, hops, maple, walnut, and fruit trees. DEC reports that the insect is already widespread in parts of New York, including Long Island.
Early nymphs are black with white spots and later become red before adulthood. Adults have spotted gray forewings; the hind wings show red. In the fall, adults lay egg masses that look brownish gray and waxy when new, on trunks, stone, vehicles, firewood, and other outdoor surfaces. Confirm any find against the photographs on the DEC page. This guide does not include photographs.
DEC describes sap weeping from small wounds, a sticky residue called honeydew, and black sooty mold growing on that residue. Feeding can stress a plant. Honeydew is also simply a nuisance on terraces, cars, and anything left underneath an infested plant.
Cornell Integrated Pest Management notes that spotted lanternfly rarely damages landscape trees, and that treatment is not required for the health of the tree. The insects can still be a nuisance, and they matter more on grapes, hops, and some other crops. That is Cornell's framing, not a result promised for any property.
People move it. DEC and Cornell describe egg masses traveling on vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture, stone, and other outdoor items. This page does not turn that description into instructions.
Cornell publishes management information for landowners. Those steps are not repeated here. They are not a Canopy Estates protocol, and nothing on this page promises that spotted lanternfly will be cleared from a property.
Tick & Mosquito Management can include spotted lanternfly as a pest to discuss. Discussion is not a work order and not a promise. Products, if any are proposed, are selected to comply with applicable New York DEC requirements and are not listed on this site.
FAQ
An invasive planthopper, Lycorma delicatula. It prefers tree of heaven and also feeds on a wide range of other plants, including grapevines, hops, maple, walnut, and fruit trees. The New York DEC page is the reference for identification.
No. The guide explains what a single property should know. It does not set out a treatment protocol, a product, or an outcome.
This page does not promise that. Spotted lanternfly can be discussed within Tick & Mosquito Management. Discussion is not removal.
Mostly by people moving it. DEC describes egg masses traveling on vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture, stone, and other outdoor items. This page does not give steps for dealing with them.
Consultation
Call 631-776-4100 or write to info@canopyestates.co. The conversation is about the property.
