Soft Pesticides that Turn Out the Light on Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)

The nymphs and adults of this invasive pest can significantly impact shade and fruit trees, grape vines, and shrubs and can be a major nuisance in the home landscape.  Both the nymphs and adults are capable of feeding on the various plant parts to cause damage that include oozing sap, wilting, leaf curling, and stem and tree dieback.  SLF feeds using a piercing-sucking mouthpart that can penetrate leaves, stems, petioles and even tree bark to suck vital plant juices from the plant.   A secondary impact is the build-up of honeydew, a sugary liquid waste product exudated by the SLF as it feeds.   Honeydew will then serve as food source for sooty mold fungi to persist.  

SLF nymphs will become most active starting in June and lasting though July to early August.  Nymphs are the immature stage that feed on the succulent underside of leaves, stems and petioles.   The nymphs are also capable of jumping from plant to plant which may require you to treat the entire landscape or the plants you prefer to protect.   Starting in August the adults will become active, start to infect other trees and vines, and will continue to feed for weeks.  Adults will then start laying eggs until November which will hatch the following spring.  Dormant horticultural oil sprays to control the overwintering egg masses have not been that successful but may be worth the effort. 

Cultural Practices

Cultural practices may be the first line of defense for the homeowner which include:

• Sticky bands on trunks or large branches
• Use of a shop vacuum to remove nymphs and adults
• Removal of host plants particularly Tree-of-Heaven (Altimus altissima) which serves as a magnet for SLF
• Scraping of eggs off the trunk or branches and dipping into an alcohol solution.  This is normally a late fall, winter or early spring chore

Soft Biopesticide Solutions:

If these measures are unsuccessful and SLF continuous to light up your landscape, you may want to consider several of the biopesticide options that you may be able to locate at your local garden center or on the internet.  Biopesticides offer many advantages over their chemical cousins such as shorter environmental persistence, low toxicity, generally safe to people, pets, wildlife, pollinators and natural predators. 

Available Biopesticide Products:

Biopesticide solutions that have been found to be effective on both nymphs and adults include insecticidal soap, neem oil, natural pyrethrins, spinosad, and some botanical oils or combinations thereof.  Many of these products are Organic Materials Review Institute (O.M.R.I) Listed, if so, it will be noted on the package label.   When using these products and any pesticide, always read and follow the label directions. 

Insecticidal soap:

• Bonide Insecticidal Soap (RTU)
• Natria Insecticidal Soap (RTU)
• Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap (RTU)
• Garden’s Alive Plant Guardian Insect Soap (RTU)
• Espoma Insect Soap (Conc)
• VPG Natural Guard Insecticidal Soap (Conc)

Neem Oil:

• Triple Action Neem Oil (Conc.)
• 70% Neem Oil RTS
• Monterey Neem Oil RTU
• Garden Safe Neem Oil Extract (Conc/RTS)
• Natria Neem Oil (Conc)
• Natural Guard Neem Insecticide, Fungicide, Miticide (Conc/RTU)
• Garden Safe Fungicide 3 in 1 (Conc/RTU/RTS)
• Neem Oil (Conc)
• 70% Neem Oil (Conc)
• Safer Neem Oil (Conc)

Neem Oil + Natural Pyrethrins:

• Ferti-Lome Triple Action Plus (RTU)
• Fertil-Lome Fruit Tree Spray (Conc)
• Fruit Tree Spray Plus (Conc)
• Ortho Fruit Tree Spray (Conc)

Spinosad containing products:

• Natural Guard Spinosad Insecticide (RTS/Conc)
• Natural Guard Spinosad Soap (RTU/Conc) (co-formulated with insecticidal soap)
• Bonide Captain Jacks Deadbug Brew Organic Liquid Conc. Insect Killer (Conc)
• Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad (Conc)
• Bonide Pyrethrin Garden Insect Spray (Conc)
• Southern Ag Natural Pyrethrin Spray (Conc)
• Pyganic Gardening Botanical Insecticide (Conc)