Save Your Trees from Spotted Lanternflies

If you’re seeing spotted lanternflies in Lancaster County, you’re not alone. These plant-hoppers showed up in Lancaster just a couple of years ago and are seen over the whole county.

Last year, Dominion treated mostly trees in the northern parts, including Lititz, New Holland, Ephrata, and other towns in the spring. But, by late fall, the sapsuckers were targeting trees in every town in Lancaster County, including Manheim, Hempfield, Millersville, Mount Joy, and Willow Street.

Here’s how they ruin trees and what you can do to help prevent them from spreading to other areas and protect your own property.

Spotted lanternflies will destroy trees by producing “sooty mold” with the “honeydew” that they produce. The spotted lanternfly excretes the honeydew on the trees while sucking its sap.  Most think that the trees are damaged by the amount of liquid that the lanternflies drain from the tree. It’s what they leave behind that injures the tree. The rancid sugary substance (honeydew) begins to turn black and block the sun’s ability to feed the tree (photosynthesis).  After longer periods of time, a spotted lanternfly infestation on a tree can cause irreversible damage.

Don’t wait for that to happen to trees on your property. Give us a call if you see any signs of spotted lanternflies.