Invasion of the Spotted Lanternfly in Glover Park

It sounds like a low-budget 1950’s sci-fi horror movie, but no – the Invasion of the Spotted Lanternfly is real. This invasive insect from Asia breached the shores of the United States in 2014 on a shipment of stone from China and was first seen in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The destructive bug has appeared in large numbers in the last couple of years in Washington DC and in particular in Glover Park.

Technically, it’s not a fly – it’s a plant hopper, though it has large, distinctive red wings with black spots over a grayish-black body. When it opens its wings to reveal the bright red underneath it looks a bit like the dinosaur that killed Newman in Jurassic Park. Here is the DC Urban Forestry's actual advice if you encounter them: “KEEP CALM AND DON’T PANIC.” I don’t know about you but if someone gives me that advice I get nervous and panicky. Luckily, they don’t bite or sting, but they are harmful to plant life, in particular maple and walnut trees and the tree of heaven, all of which are common in the neighborhood. They eat the leaves and excrete a sticky substance called honeydew (a.k.a. excrement) that can coat cars and sidewalks when they feast in large numbers. Also, they can spread mold and fungus and possibly do damage to the trees. The good news is that the tree of heaven – which is common to see in overgrown and neglected yards and fields – also is an invasive species, so good riddance.

This plant hopper cannot sustain flight, but uses its wings to leap from tree to tree. It is also a very good hitchhiker – you might have noticed it on your car hopping a ride to another area and clinging for its life. It’s a good way to get a free Uber anywhere in the city. The adults swarm starting about mid-July through August, and then they lay egg masses on trees in the fall for next spring’s hatching. This is an actual federal agricultural guideline on how to deal with them: “Squish them.” Maybe good advice, unless you practice Buddhism, then you might return in your next life as a tree of heaven – sweet karma. Chemical sprays and sticky pads are not recommended as they are not harmful to humans and usually not even to desirable vegetation. It is recommended that you keep an eye out for the egg masses on trees in the fall and remove those – the sticky, whitish, translucent masses against the bark that look like the egg spawns of the alien from, uh, Alien.

The ecosystem is already working out the problem. After a couple of years, birds, spiders, insects, bats and other mammals have caught on that these aliens are high in fat and protein and are quite tasty and nutritious – try some on a kale salad with a lemon poppy seed vinaigrette (no, don’t). DC Urban Forestry is keeping records of sighting volume as it is an official invasive species, so feel free to report to them what you see at this link to their questionnaire.

Chris Jones