06/11/2026
Don't panic, but the spotted lanternflies are back again this year!
Right now, the small black and white nymphs can be seen, but they will soon change to the larger red and white nymphs.
These bugs are a nuisance, especially due to the honeydew that they produce and the sooty mold that grows where the honeydew falls, but a nuisance is all they are. It is important to remember that these insects do not bite or sting, they can’t damage your house and other structures, and they don’t kill healthy garden or landscape plants. They prefer the invasive tree-of-heaven to feed on, but they will congregate on maples and walnuts as well.
Last year, many imaginative ideas about how to handle this nuisance were spread through social media, including advice to use commercial pesticides or homemade remedies like vinegar or soap solutions. Using pesticides like these is inadvisable: You can kill lanternflies, but also desirable pollinators or bugs and spiders that have learned to hunt the lanternflies.
Instead of buying or mixing up a homemade pesticide, DOEE suggests:
Trap, Vacuum, Squash
• Buy or build a circle trap to catch them as they crawl up the tree trunk (works best if you have a tree-of heaven in your yard)
• If you see large clusters of nymphs like in the photo you can use a vacuum to suck them up.
• Challenge your friends to see who can squash the most.
Lastly, just let nature do its thing: Birds and predatory insects like praying mantis, wasps, assassin bugs, and stink bugs have all learned that lanternflies are abundant and edible.
To learn more go to: https://trees.dc.gov/pages/invasive-species-spotted-lantern-fly
