Un-welcome visitors to my garden

[CWTurner]

Seeing a lot of Spotted Lanternfly instars (nymphs) lately.

Their preferred food is Ailanthus (Tree of heaven) but they apparently also like grape. I have a fair amount of wild grape and they seem to love that. However they are also feeding on Virginia Creeper and to my dismay my Hemlocks!

They are very strong jumpers and tough little bugs, hard to catch as they hide on the far side of the branch as you look at them. Resistant to the insecticide soap I tried, so it's time to bring out the big guns.

Here's what the adults look like. And there is also a red instar.

I remember being somewhere last year when the adults were flying by the dozen and they are big clumsy bugs and will crash right into your head.
CW

 

[Forsoothe!]

You should report this to your State Natural Resources agent.

 

[sorce]

I saw a Nessus Sphinx Moth today.
Reminded me of this.

Sorce

 

[AJL]

What damage are they doing?

 

[M. Frary]

preferred food is Ailanthus (Tree of heaven) but they apparently also like grape

And maples.

 

[CWTurner]

You should report this to your State Natural Resources agent.

Oh, they are aware. The entire SE corner of PA is on quarantine for them (no moving firewood out of the area, etc)

What damage are they doing?

Well, they haven't killed anything yet that I can tell, and the PA Extension says that so far, they haven't wipe out any crop, but the potential is there. They are an invasive import with no natural predators, so us humans have to fill that niche. I don't like to spray willy-nilly so I will carefully try to exterminate only them.
CW

 

[_#1_]

They have arrived!

I found like one red phase nymph last year not knowing what it was, and left it alone! Now they're EVERYWHERE in the yard.

I'm planning to grow a couple Tree of Heaven in pots next year. Places them around the yard away from any flowering plants and give them a couple good dose of systemic. Maybe I should inoculate others like Oak, Maple after they flowered. Is this a reasonable plan?

One of many!

 

[Forsoothe!]

You are going to develop your own science? Quit fooling around and ask your Department of Natural Resources Agent what to do.

 

[TN_Jim]

They have arrived!

I found like one red phase nymph last year not knowing what it was, and left it alone! Now they're EVERYWHERE in the yard.

I'm planning to grow a couple Tree of Heaven in pots next year. Places them around the yard away from any flowering plants and give them a couple good dose of systemic. Maybe I should inoculate others like Oak, Maple after they flowered. Is this a reasonable plan?

One of many!
View attachment 313928

Tree of heaven is extremely invasive. If done, removing flowers would be best precaution of conservation aside from destroying all tree from hell on site

 

[_#1_]

Lol forgotten they produce a bunch of flowers too. That plan is scrapped.

 

[hinmo24t]

good luck. so im not the only one who noticed these types (not exact ones for me, maybe aphids, more typical ones) legit hiding on other side of branch as i try to get them? almost comically. keep away... i get the bright neon colored ones sometimes but keep a good eye on my stuff.

 

[CWTurner]

You are going to develop your own science? Quit fooling around and ask your Department of Natural Resources Agent what to do.

Actually, the Penn State Cooperative Extension recommends the method @Microscopic suggests. Maybe not growing your own Tree of Heaven, but if you have some around, using them to concentrate and eradicate the pest. If they're attacking and damaging something valuable in his yard, I can understand his thinking.

I use a similar vector control method by leaving a bucket of stagnant water out where the female mosquitoes can find it, and keep it dosed with mosquito dunks (BTI)
CW

 

[hinmo24t]

Actually, the Penn State Cooperative Extension recommends the method @Microscopic suggests. Maybe not growing your own Tree of Heaven, but if you have some around, using them to concentrate and eradicate the pest. If they're attacking and damaging something valuable in his yard, I can understand his thinking.

I use a similar vector control method by leaving a bucket of stagnant water out where the female mosquitoes can find it, and keep it dosed with mosquito dunks (BTI)
CW

i use those mosquito bits on most my soils and around my place where standing water happens

i want to grow some citronella plants for around my garden too

 

[Forsoothe!]

That leaves us a pretty dismal prospect for beating this bug. There are ample Tree of Heaven here, and they grow 50 feet high. What does that say about controlling the bug?

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

For me the squirrels are the most destructive. Between tearing up my pots and taking test bites out of maples, they are my arch nemesis.

 

[Danteswake]

I did a search on them. Not good. They enjoy 22 types of trees and are predicted to head to my neck of the woods, Florida. Great. Book marking this thread. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

 

[CWTurner]

Sitting here at my desk this chilly, snowy morning and a mosquito flies by. It came back for a second pass and I got him...her?

CW

 

[jason biggs]

for us the most unwelcome visitors to any garden and house are termites...
however they don't seem to harm living trees at all...
in fact the foliage looks greener when they infest the pot??

 

[Potawatomi13]

Termites eat dead(normally)damp wood.