Adult spotted lanternflies die as sustained freezing weather arrives, but their egg masses can survive the winter.
Spotted lanternflies are a serious local pest that has been causing a lot of trouble for agriculture. You might hope the frost will get rid of the population, but that’s unfortunately only half true. The adult lanternflies spend months feeding, mating, and laying eggs. The winter ends their life cycle, but the next generation is waiting in egg masses, and those are unfortunately cold-hardy.
Part of what makes spotted lanternflies a problem is that they pierce crops and other plants and suck out the sap. This can make all kinds of plants, ranging from maples to apple trees to grapevines, fall ill. You can spot their handiwork in the wild if you see a sticky, sugary liquid called honeydew coating nearby leaves and surfaces.
Females lay those masses on many surfaces, including trees, stone, outdoor furniture, vehicles, trailers, firewood, and other hard objects. The eggs remain through winter and can hatch when warmer weather returns. That means that just because adult lanternflies disappear after frost, the local population has not been eliminated.
That said, there is some good news. Fall and winter can actually make the egg masses easier to spot because leaves fall and vegetation recedes. If you find a suspicious mass that looks like spotted lanternfly eggs, follow current state or local spotted lanternfly guidance for identification and removal. One common way involves scraping the egg mass off into a plastic bag full of hand sanitizer.
Keep in mind that egg masses can be stuck to outdoor objects, and some of them are ones that can move. For example, egg masses can be stuck to firewood and outdoor tools like wheelbarrows. Be sure to look out for that.
If spotted lanternflies are becoming a problem around your Southeast PA property, Mosquito Squad of Southeast PA can help with pest control around the property. Call (610) 463-0507 or request a free quote online.
