Spotted Lanternfly NJ Control Services

The spotted lanternfly has decimated greenery and crops in Asia for decades but has only recently been found in the U.S., including New Jersey. These dangerous pests could destroy agriculture if their numbers aren’t closely controlled. To protect your New Jersey home or business from spotted lanternflies, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

Counties in New Jersey with a Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine

What Are Spotted Lanternflies?

Spotted lanternflies, referred to as SLF (Lycorma deliculata), are invasive plant parasites originally from South Asia. Since their first sighting in the U.S. in 2014, they’ve been identified in significant numbers in New Jersey as well as other states in that region (2018). The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain spotted lanternflies can survive off of at least 70 different plant and tree species, preferring grapevines, stone fruit trees, crab trees, hardwood trees like black walnut and maple trees, and especially Chinese sumac trees. Spotted lanternflies are considered dangerous because of their wide-ranging appetite and penchant for eating in great quantities, trees and plants, which you may have in your New Jersey home or office.

Spotted lanternflies are also well-known pests for being able to lay eggs on almost any surface, lending to explosive booms in their population under the right conditions. Like aphids, they secrete a syrupy, sugary liquid referred to as honeydew that promotes the growth of mold in roots and blocks the sunlight from getting to low-lying plants. The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain honeydew also attracts other insects like bees and can even coat a porch or yard with sticky stalagmites in heavily infested areas. After being introduced to South Korea, they devastated the country’s agriculture in three years. Grape farmers in Pennsylvania have already reported a 90% loss of crops after infestation. Needless to say, a spotted lanternfly infestation can be devastating to your New Jersey business or home.

How to Identify Spotted Lanternflies

Exterminators explain spotted lanternfly prevention in New Jersey begins with identifying the problem. Adult spotted lanternflies are about an inch long and half an inch wide, with two sets of wings. The larger, outer wings are white with large black spots, while the fly’s back is bright red. Spotted lanternflies have small, shiny black heads and black legs. Nymph spotted lanternflies transitioning from the larval stage go through several appearances, starting out mostly black and eventually gaining patches of red until they take on their adult form. Spotted lanternfly eggs are placed in small, yellow-brown cases attached to any smooth surface. These waxy egg cases usually hold between 30 and 50 eggs.

When Are Spotted Lanternflies Most Active in New Jersey?

Nymph spotted lanternflies hatch from their egg cases around the beginning of spring in New Jersey. Researchers found that nymphs in North Korea had a wider range of plant and tree consumption than their adult counterparts and maybe more dangerous as a result. New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain by July, the young nymphs begin taking their permanent adult forms. Adults start mating and laying eggs in late September until winter gets underway in New Jersey. As of August 2020, the following 8 counties are under quarantine for the spotted lanternfly:

• Somerset County
• Mercer County
• Warren County
• Hunterdon County
• Burlington County
• Camden County
• Gloucester County
• Salem County

How to Control Spotted Lanternflies in New Jersey

New Jersey exterminators at Viking state make no mistake about it—spotted lanternflies are dangerous pests that can destroy agricultural systems in New Jersey. If you see one in your home or office, do your best to eradicate it as soon as possible and report it. Contact a representative at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. If you think you have an infestation, don’t wait to take action.

After contacting the authorities, get in touch with your local pest control expert, Viking Pest, to figure out how to get rid of your spotted lanternfly problem as quickly as possible. A professional spotted lanternfly exterminator will take steps to prevent further spotted lanternflies during all of their life stages, locating even those hard-to-find egg cases that can keep a population growing.

How Do You Protect Your Home or Business From Spotted Lanternflies?

Viking Pest offers treatment plans for both homeowners and businesses throughout Delaware. Viking utilizes a specially formulated liquid treatment to help eliminate the pest. Preventative “Knockdown” treatments are applied to trees and manmade surfaces throughout Spotted Lanternfly season. This re-occurring plan can start as early as May and continue to September 30. Customers can sign up mid-month or mid-season.  Viking Pest offers Spotted Lanternfly treatments in the following New Jersey counties: Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Morris, Warren, Essex, Hudson, Union, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, and Atlantic. 

What is the Liquid Treatment for Spotted Lanternflies? 

As part of our ongoing service, Viking Pest will return to your home or business and apply a liquid treatment to designated trees. This treatment can only be applied during the months of July, August, or September, once trees have completely bloomed. This one-time liquid treatment must be scheduled around the forecast, as rain or precipitation cannot be expected for at least 12 hours after the application. Once applied, the treatment will not harm the tree nor any other vegetation and will act as a natural barrier helping protect the tree from Spotted Lanternflies. In a matter of days, the liquid will be absorbed into the roots and trunk, helping protect the tree from the inside out.   

Does Viking Offer Spotted Lanternfly Treatments for Other Surfaces?

Yes, Viking Pest offers a liquid treatment for other surfaces. This knockdown treatment is designed to treat outdoor surfaces such as wood, shrubs, foundations of buildings, surfaces of buildings, porches, screens, window frames, eaves, patios, garages, refuse dumps, and other similar areas where these pests are active. This treatment cannot guarantee Spotted Lanternflies from returning, but it can help take the first step in controlling the population. 

 

Protecting Your Home or Business From Spotted Lanternflies in New Jersey With Viking Pest Control

Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent pests from invading your home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling Spotted Lanternflies in New Jersey from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or Schedule Online today!