You know 'em, and hopefully, you don't like 'em. If you've been on campus in recent years' autumns, you know the description of these invasive planthoppers. In fact, you've probably seen more than your fair share of spotted lanternflies squished on the ground, a result of the persistent messaging that these things will damage plants all across America, if they ever spread that far.
While the spotted lanternflies themselves may not cause as much damage as some sensationalized stories say (UMD Extension), what they excrete can be quite harmful: A "sticky, oozing residue called honeydew" (USDA APHIS).
This honeydew is linked to the occurrence of black, sooty mold on trees and other nearby structures, as well as an intense rotting odor as it ferments (MDA). After all, it's pretty much just processed sap and bodily waste from the spotted lanternfly.
It's worth noting, however, that the spotted lanternfly is not typically associated with the death of the plant it feeds on, with the notable exception of grape species (MDA).
Spotted lanternflies, Lycorma deliculata, feed on the tree-of-heaven outside of Goucher College's Meyerhoff Arts Center.
© Faye Persephone
Spotted lanternflies may not severely damage their host plants, but the sooty mold that follows them does; By covering leaves or stems and twigs with dark mycelial strands, the mold can damage plants by preventing (or reducing the efficiency of) photosynthesis (UC IPM). If you're an avid gardener, you might recognize sooty mold with ease, as it readily colonizes the honeydew excreted by piercing-sucking insects like the spotted lanternfly (MDA).
Combined, the growth-inhibiting effects of the tree-of-heaven's ailanthone and the photosynthesis-reducing effects of the sooty mold, you can see how the spotted lanternfly and tree-of-heaven complement one another in how they damage the environment.
Spotted lanternflies form a small group at the base of the trunk of a tree-of-heaven outside Goucher College's Meyerhoff Arts Center. The trunk is covered in black sooty mold.
© Faye Persephone
Want to know what to do about the tree-of-heaven and spotted lanternfly problems, now that you know what's wrong?
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