Invasive Insects

Invasive Insects to be on the watch for

 
 
WIR-LANTERFLY-AP20064665109587-2-1595437028.jpg

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) has recently been reported in Cambria County and is abundant in surrounding counties. You’ll commonly find SLF on the invasive tree-of-heaven, but it will lay eggs on any flat surface. Tree-of-heaven is the favorite food of SLF, but they also feed on grapevines, maples, hops, black walnut, and other important plants in PA. The damage from feeding significantly stresses the plants which can lead to decreased health and eventually death. Here’s some tips for identifying SLF:

  • Adults about 1 inch long, spotted wings with red underneath

  • Nymphs are black with white spots

  • Egg masses are about one inch long and have a mud-like covering

See the link below for more information on identification and control. Be sure to report if you see SLF!

 
HWA.jpg

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae)

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) only affects our Eastern Hemlocks. They feed at the base of the hemlock needles and cause the needles to die. A tree can die in as little as four years after being infected. Here’s some tips on identification of HWA infections:

  • White, woolly bunches at the base of hemlock needles, best seen on the underside

  • Yellowing needles, crown thinning, and branch die back on hemlocks

See the link below for more information.

 
EAB-Penny.jpg

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a wood-boring beetle that can kill a tree in as little as three years. EAB primarily infests ash trees but can infest other tree species as well. Here’s how to identify EAB:

  • Adults up to 1/2 inch long, narrow and bullet-shaped, metallic green

  • Larvae up to 3 cm long, creamy white with no legs

  • D-shaped bore holes, as shown in the photo to the left

See the link below for more information on EAB.