Thanks to Civic, Horticulture & Environment Committee Co-Chair Annemarie Malbon for demonstrating this method of eliminating this serious threat to our local forests.
When spotted lanternfly seeks out food it will use its straw-like mouthparts to tap into the vascular tissue of a tree and remove sap. The byproduct of sap intake is called honeydew.
Honeydew can build up and promote the growth of sooty mold, which can look like a black coating at the base of the host plant. The sooty mold can make it harder for the plant to survive. More than 100 species of ornamental trees, fruit-bearing trees, and vines can serve as a host for the spotted lanternfly to use for feeding and as a place to lay eggs. Preferred host plants are marked with an asterisk (*).
Some species include:
- apple/crabapple (Malus spp.)
- Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
- birch (Betula spp.)*
- black walnut (Juglans nigra)*
- grapes (Vitis spp.)*
- highbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
- hops (Humulus lupulus)
- lilac (Syringa spp.)
- maple (Acer spp.)*
- mulberry (Morus spp.)
- poplar (Populus spp.)
- rose (Rosa spp.)*
- staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)*
- stone fruit (cherry, peach, plum, etc.) (Prunus spp.)
- sycamore (Platanus spp.)
- tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)*
- Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
- willow (Salix spp.)*
Moon Township Garden Club 