Category Archives: Spotted Lanternfly

Even in parts of the country buried under snow, our gardens remain busy places in winter. Flower bulbs root in, and shrubs replenish their energies in preparation for glorious spring blooms. Wildlife forages for food, and overwintering insects employ various survival strategies. While some winter pests enter a state akin to hibernation, others are actively eating and growing, ready to produce huge broods when spring arrives. Let’s take a look at the most common overwintering pests and see what they may be up to in your garden.

Most Common Overwintering Pests

The most common overwintering pests vary by region, of course. And they behave a bit differently in snowy Wisconsin than in sunny Florida. But there are many that can be found throughout the country. We’ll explore the ten most common overwintering insects. See how many of your neighbors you can spot!

Aphids

Aphids are tiny, sap-sucking insects that feast on the moisture in our plants. They produce a sugary liquid waste called “honeydew” that is irresistible to ants who actually “farm” aphids! (Our entomologists really dig this kind of stuff). If your garden plants are plagued by aphids, you likely wonder what temps kill aphids. Or even if aphids can survive freezing. Adult aphids cannot survive when their bodily fluids freeze. This occurs between 5 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. But they lay eggs to ensure the next generation of garden-suckers will be born in spring.

Squash Bugs

Squash bugs are the bane of squash, pumpkin, and cucumber farmers. The ⅝-inch long dark gray or brown bugs can sicken and even kill young plants. As adults, these overwintering insects hide under plant debris and under rocks or logs in the garden. Just one generation of squash bugs develops each year.

Whiteflies

Closely related to aphids, whiteflies are tiny, winged insects that suck the juices from the underside of a plant’s leaves. Despised by gardeners everywhere, these moth-like pests can transmit disease between plants and even kill grown plants. Whiteflies are killed by the winter temps that fall below freezing. They remain year-round pests in mild climates and overwinter indoors or in greenhouses in colder locations.

Colorado Potato Beetles

Despite their name, orange and black-striped Colorado Potato Beetles are overwintering pests throughout most of the U.S. They burrow 5 to 10 inches deep underground to hibernate for months during freezing weather. They awake hungry and ready to reproduce in the spring garden or potato field.

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are tiny oval insects covered in a wax-like substance that looks like white powder. They infest houseplants and citrus trees, with a marked preference for orchids, palms, and succulents. Mealybugs suck the juices from plants, producing honeydew that attracts ants. The nasty little winter pests overwinter as eggs or nymphs in tiny crevices like tree bark.

Scale Insects

There are roughly 8,000 species of scale insects, some with armored bodies and others that are soft. All suck the moisture and nutrients from plant leaves and stems. Hard-bodied scales overwinter as eggs, while soft-body scales cover themselves with protective waxy secretions. Typically, immature, fertilized female soft-body scales are dormant in winter, ready to lay their eggs in spring.

Thrips

These tiny, slender insects feast on the sap from flower buds, causing strangely deformed blooms. These overwintering insects hide dormant in leaf litter, bark mulch, and decaying plant debris. They wake up in early spring, ready to eat and lay eggs.

Spotted Lanternflies

These striking, damaging moth-like pests are highly invasive and do hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to our crops annually. Spotted scarlet flight wings are covered by translucent tawny wings at rest, looking pink. Spotted lanternflies lay egg masses that survive winter protected by a waxy secretion.

Cabbage Moths

These 1.5-inch-long moths do severe crop damage to a wide range of diverse fruit and vegetable crops yearly. The pupae, known as cabbage loopers, survive winter by staying in the soil or in cocoons attached to host plants. These damaging overwintering pests also migrate as adults to avoid the cold.

Stink Bugs

This brown-speckled, shield-shaped insect is invasive and found throughout the country. Stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables, emitting a burnt-tire stench when they feel threatened. These foul-smelling bugs overwinter in our homes, finding small chinks in door frames and siding.

What Are the Signs of an Overwintering Pest Infestation?

With so many overwintering insects, winter pest control is crucial to an effective year-round strategy. Unfortunately, most people won’t notice any signs of overwintering pests unless the bugs move into the house! Dirty yellow or brown stains along your baseboards or furniture are a sign of stink bugs. If your houseplants develop a sticky residue on their leaves, look at the underside for whiteflies. Often, the clearest sign that you have pests overwintering on your property is robust populations of those insects come spring.

Things You Need to Do to Protect Beneficial Winter Insects

Beneficial insects are invaluable. They are made up of pollinating species and those that prey on pests. About 75% of flowering plants and nearly 40% of crops around the world depend on pollinators like bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, and ladybugs. For many reasons, our pollinators are in severe decline, and they need the support of home gardeners. Unfortunately, most of the care that supports beneficial insects in winter, like leaving leaf litter and weeds in place, also helps overwintering pests. One step you can take to control the pests and protect the beneficials is to hire professional pest control like Mosquito Joe®. Our service professionals take extraordinary care to leave pollinators and other beneficial insects unharmed while targeting garden pests.

Keep Your Winter Garden Pest-Free Without Harming Beneficial Winter Insects

Eliminating overwintering insects interrupts the pests’ life cycles, significantly reducing the springtime population. Mosquito Joe performs comprehensive pest control services, including winter treatments, each one conducted with sensitivity for beneficial insects.

Trust your property to Mosquito Joe. The Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe Guarantee backs all our work because the job isn’t done until it’s done right.

Request a free quote today, or call your local pest control experts. We’ll get those overwintering insects to bug off!

Have you considered adding flowers or other plants to your backyard? It’s a great way to spruce up the area and really embrace what the summer is all about. But before you begin, you should be aware of potential issues you might face, and we’re not talking about insects.

The tree of heaven is an invasive plant species that could already be growing in the soil around your home or near plants in your yard. Either way, if you come across this plant, it’s essential to let the qualified service professionals at Mosquito Joe® remove it from your property. Although we specialize in outdoor pest control services, we can also help with these trees.

How to Identify a Tree of Heaven

Tree of heaven identification can be tricky because it has a similar appearance to other species. It has pinnately compound leaves featuring a central stem with leaves on each side. But it stands out because the stem is a reddish-brown color. If you run your hand across the stem, you will also feel a little fuzz.

Another factor that can help you pin down the tree-of-heaven plant in your yard is the smell. Whenever you break a twig or crush one of the leaves, it’s followed by a foul odor. When this tree secures its roots and leaves start growing, a chemical is released into the soil that’s toxic to other plants. Plus, it reproduces rapidly, allowing it to infiltrate areas and knock out other species.

How to Remove a Tree of Heaven

If you suspect you might have a tree of heaven in your backyard, it would be best to dispose of it. Keeping it around will kill the remaining plant life as the roots spread. It will also create a habitat for the unwanted spotted lanternfly, an insect that can do extra damage.

Rather than dealing with these issues, get rid of the tree of heaven. A simple way to control its growth is by pulling seedlings by hand before the roots get a chance to develop. Once roots take hold, it’ll be much more challenging to remove them. Even if you do, removal might not be clean, and the root fragments can resprout.

Cutting a mature tree-of-heaven plant from the ground level may seem like the best course of action, but it’s not for two reasons:

1. Cutting is a process that will have to continue for a few years to weaken the plant.
2. When a tree of heaven gets cut, it produces root suckers which are hazardous to other plants in the area.

So, instead, attack the roots using herbicides. It’s an effective method for removing a tree of heaven that may be too comfortable.

Invasiveness of the Tree of Heaven

When you see trees and leaves, the idea that they might harm each other probably doesn’t occur to you. But as mentioned, the tree of heaven is an invasive plant species that does more harm than good.

While its roots make their way into the soil and get cozy, they destroy other roots and disperse a toxic chemical that hurts other plants. Furthermore, you’ll see more spotted lanternflies around because of them (their favorite type of grub). And they won’t be so friendly to the other plants and flowers you might have around.

Tree-of-heaven threats don’t stop there. Since these trees can thrive as long as there’s soil and space, you may find them peeking through cracks in concrete or building foundations. If left unattended for too long, they could cause lasting damage.

Difference Between Tree of Heaven vs. Sumac

Again, the tree of heaven has a lot of similarities to other species, which can make it challenging if you want to remove it from your yard. But there are a few ways to tell the difference between it and sumac trees. We already mentioned a few above, like the reddish-brown stem and the foul odor emanating from the leaves when crushed. However, there are a few other ways to differentiate between a tree of heaven and a sumac.

Tree of Heaven

• Grows in colonies
• Does not thrive in full sun
• Has smooth leaves with a longer trunk and can grow up to about 80 feet tall

Sumac

• Can produce berries or drupes when female
• Has branches that are covered in brown hairs
• Has leaves that are serrated at the base
• Has a short trunk that can grow up to 40 feet tall

Keep an eye out for these trees in your backyard and consider removing them with the help of the professionals at Mosquito Joe. We specialize in tree of heaven removal and other important services. Our commitment to excellence and the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ ensure complete satisfaction. Request a free quote to find out more!

Have you ever seen an intriguing plant-hopping creature with gray and red wings and black spots and wondered what it was and whether it was threatening? You may have come across the spotted lanternfly. These sightings have become increasingly common in the United States, and many people become nervous when they encounter spotted lanternflies, unsure if they bite or pose other risks. Although native to China, they were first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and are now primarily found throughout the Northeast and the central-eastern part of the United States.

If you have detected some negative attitudes surrounding these creatures and have become curious as to why spotted lanternflies are bad, we have answers. Read on to learn more about whether spotted lanternflies do indeed bite and what potential damage they could cause.

What Are Spotted Lanternflies?

Spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) are an invasive species of insect originating in parts of Asia, including China, India, and Vietnam. They are commonly known as planthoppers. They are found on a variety of about 70 different species of woody plants and fruit crops, especially grapes.

Spotted lanternflies go through four stages in their life cycle: the egg, nymph, adult, and resting stages. Eggs are laid in masses that resemble grayish-brown mud or putty. Young nymphs emerge and go through metamorphosis stages before full adulthood. Early-stage nymphs are black with white spots, and they eventually develop red patches as they grow. The egg and nymph stages last about six months, starting in January each year.

Adult spotted lanternflies start emerging in June, are about 1 inch long, and have very distinctive markings. Their forewings are grayish with black spots, while their hindwings are red with black spots and a white band near the tips. When at rest, their wings fold tent-like over their bodies, creating a visually striking display. The adult and resting stages usually start in June and last about six months. The entire lifespan of a spotted lanternfly is about one year.

Are Spotted Lanternflies Dangerous?

When it comes to determining if the spotted lanternfly is dangerous, you may be wondering; do spotted lanternflies bite humans? Fortunately, spotted lanternflies do not bite humans or pets. This information will likely bring much relief the next time their spotted wings come into your view.  So, if they don’t bite humans or pets, why are spotted lanternflies bad? Unfortunately, their presence is cause for concern when it comes to plant life.

While spotted lanternflies do not bite us or our furry friends, they are still a significant nuisance to plants, trees, and crops. Their favorite host is the Tree of Heaven, though they will also eat from grapes, other hardwoods, and fruit trees. They pierce the bark of trees and plants to access the sap. This damages the tree or plant and can cause significant damage to agricultural crops.

Also, although we’ve established that spotted lanternflies are not dangerous to humans, and your pets won’t likely be bitten by spotted lanternflies, they should be kept away from them. Animals may be tempted to eat spotted lanternflies, and more research needs to be done to determine if this could cause serious health issues for your pet.

Why Are Spotted Lanternflies Bad?

Spotted lanternflies can be a nuisance to humans due to their swarming behavior and large populations. Their presence in large numbers can create an unpleasant environment, especially in outdoor recreation areas, gardens, or even your own backyard.

Unfortunately, spotted lanternflies can be transported long distances by people who move infested material or items containing egg masses. This can have a significant impact on agriculture and the environment. Spotted lanternflies love to feast on fruit plants and trees. They especially like grape plants. They feed on these plants and weaken them, which reduces the crop yield. This can result in less fruit available for the public to purchase and higher prices for certain produce.

Let’s learn more about what to do when you find a spotted lanternfly.

What to Do When You Find a Spotted Lanternfly

Since first being spotted in Pennsylvania in 2014, spotted lanternflies have migrated to 13 other states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia.

When you find a spotted lanternfly, there are likely many more somewhere nearby. When you discover spotted lanternflies in your area, you want to alert your local agricultural department and take immediate action to eliminate the threat to your plants and trees. Spotted lanternflies in the nymph stage can be sprayed with insecticides if you can catch them. Adults are harder to kill on contact and are best left to the professionals. Your local pest control service will have ways to eliminate this invasive pest.

How to Get Rid of Spotted Lanternflies?

Hiring a professional pest control service is the best defense against spotted lanternflies, especially if you find an infestation. However, there are several things you can do ahead of the arrival of a pest control service to help protect your property from spotted lanternflies. These include the following steps:

1. If your property has trees of heaven, remove them. They are the spotted lanternfly’s favorite food source.
2. Be on the lookout for spotted lanternfly egg masses in the winter towards the end of the year. If you spot one, you can scrape it off the tree into a bag. Add sanitizer, seal the bag, and dispose of it.
3. Spray any nymphs or adults found with an insecticidal soap or apple cider vinegar. Do not spray vinegar directly on plants, as it may damage them.
4. Plant milkweed. Spotted lanternflies are drawn to this plant, but it is poisonous to them and kills them.

Contact Mosquito Joe® for Spotted Lanternflies Control Services

You no longer have to panic about what to do when you find a spotted lanternfly. Mosquito Joe is here to help. Our service professionals are experienced in effectively removing all types of flying, biting, and annoying pests. And with work that is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and our own Mosquito Joe guarantee, you sure to be happy with the results. Request a free quote today or call us at 1-855-275-2563.