October 11, 2017 – Rafael, Anne Nielsen and Dina met up with Sven-Erik Spichiger (PA Department of Agriculture) and visited sites in Pennsylvania infested with the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycormia denticulata. A beauty and a beast. SLF was first detected in eastern PA (Berks county) in 2014 and has since spread to five others (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Lehigh and Northampton). Arrival in NJ is imminent and we need to be pro-active. Rafael carefully collected samples of honeydew, soil, leaves covered in sap and black mold. Will there be detectable SLF DNA?? That is the question. For the answer, keep tuning in.

Old (left, top) and new (center) egg masses

sticky band covered in dead adults

Sven Spichiger, PA Ag

Spotted lanternfly feeding