What Spotted Lantern Flies Are and What to Look For

Invasive spotted lanternflies are beautiful, but harmful. Because they can kill trees and crops, making Southeastern Mass spotted lanternfly control important to impede their spread

In the Northeast, especially Massachusetts, we take great pride in our outdoor landscapes, which are wonderful to behold when the outdoor living season arrives after a cold winter. It is these landscapes that encourage us to savor the open air fully. Sadly, however, there are pests here that threaten many of the trees and foliage that make our region so precious. The spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from Asia, is thriving in Massachusetts and many of our neighboring states, where it is causing immense damage to much of our native environment. Trees, bushes, and other native species that make our region unique are under threat from these insects, so what can you do to fight back against these insects?

How Spotted Lanternflies Damage Native Ecosystems

Because these insects evolved in an entirely different ecosystem, their ways are unfamiliar to the plants that live in Bridgewater and the surrounding area, meaning plants and trees are vulnerable to both the feeding habits and waste of these insects. Like many of the nonnative insects that damage trees in the United States, spotted lanternflies thrive by digging into the bark of trees to seek the nutrients held within by their sap. When large populations of these insects target individual trees, the trees weaken and become vulnerable to illness and disease. To make matters worse, these insects also damage trees through their excretions. Waste from spotted lanternflies is left on trees and the ground, where it feeds the growth of black sooty mold, which can overwhelm trees and plants. Because spotted lanternflies don’t have a natural check on their population growth in our region due to a lack of natural predators, their populations can grow quickly, meaning we need to take action to keep them at bay. While they are beautiful, thanks to their vibrant red wings and spotted wing covers, they should not be tolerated near your property, especially since targeting them is an essential way to control these invasives. Our team at Mosquito Squad Plus is here to provide you with powerful solutions that ensure these insects can’t thrive on your property.

Southeastern Mass Spotted Lanternfly Control

At Mosquito Squad Plus of Southeastern Massachusetts, we take spotted lanternflies seriously because they threaten our yards and local, native environments. With this threat in mind, we are pleased to offer our Bridgewater spotted lanternfly control treatments. When applied by our highly trained technicians after a thorough property inspection, we can guarantee a dramatic reduction in populations of these pests in your yard, and results last for weeks at a time. Regular treatments are essential to continue targeting these pests, which is why we offer scheduling options to keep your treatment applications up to date, reinforcing your backyard defenses. 

Spotted lanternflies don’t belong in your yard or in the Northeast. Give our team at Mosquito Squad Plus of Southeastern Massachusetts a call today at (774) 234-4611 to learn more about our services and how we can help you keep spotted lanternflies and other pests at bay.