Submitted by Robbie Marshall, Brainerd Memorial Library
(July 30, 2026) — In an article recently published by the website Real Simple (www.realsimple.com), writer Lisa Hilbrand warns of an increasing infestation of spotted lanternflies, some of which have been sighted in our area. Spotted lanternflies are invasive pests that harm trees and plants by feeding on sap, especially targeting grapevines, fruit trees and popular backyard species like maples and oaks. Although they look striking, these bugs have few natural predators in the United States, so humans play a key role in controlling their spread through physical removal, traps and safe insecticides. Removing egg masses, host plants like the Tree of Heaven, and using DIY methods like vinegar sprays or neem oil can help manage infestations and protect gardens.
Reports, with photos and information, have come in on social media sites like nextdoor.com. Residents from Haddam and Killingworth (photo above), as well as East Haddam and the shoreline have weighed in. They’ve provided the link below to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. When reporting, the CAES will need a photo uploaded.
https:/ /survey123.arcgis.com/share/cd88aecff65948e795bac5f34e1b66d2
If you’re a gardener, knowing how to get rid of spotted lanternflies is a must. You might feel bad the first time you squash one. With their gray-spotted wings and scarlet body, they look too attractive to kill. But when you notice a swarm of them sucking the life out of your beloved grapevine, you’ll get over it quickly!
Known as lycorma deliculata, the spotted lanternfly is common in Asia but was first noticed in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, these leafhoppers have spread along the eastern seaboard and west into Ohio and Michigan. They start as black and white spotted nymphs, turn scarlet and white as they hit their “teen” stage, then morph into adult bugs with spotted gray wings and scarlet bodies. Even though they have wings, they can’t fly far, so they most often spread by hitching a ride on vehicles, in crops, or even in luggage or sports gear from an affected area into new zones.
Right now, there are few natural predators for lanternflies in the U.S., though some animals are starting to notice this new snack like: praying mantises, spiders, yellow jackets, ants, and wheel bugs. In addition, birds will eat them, including backyard chickens, cardinals, and blue jays.” But at the moment, people power may be the best solution. Are they dangerous? You don’t have to worry about a bite or sting. But plant parents will want to take heed! These bugs go after trees and plants, tapping the sap for meals and injuring or killing the plant.
When spotted lanternflies are in the immature stages, they can be found feeding on a wide variety of plants. The small black and white-spotted nymphs will feed on the leaf veins of smaller plants and shrubs such as raspberries, as well as the stems of garden plants like okra and cucumber. You may have to lift up the foliage or view them from below as they often are on the underside of leaves.
While the Tree of Heaven (another invasive species) is their meal of choice, spotted lanternflies feast on agricultural plants like grapevines, hops plants, and fruit trees. They also feed on and kill trees like pine, maple, oak, poplar, and willow trees, making this non-native species invasive and problematic. Spotted lanternflies also secrete a sweet, sticky substance called honeydew, which attracts bees, ants, and wasps, and can cause a black sooty mold, which can harm your plants. How do you get rid of them? See below:
Stomp or Squash
Affected states are initiating “stomp it out” campaigns, where you smash or step on the bugs when you find them. But that can be trickier if you see them in your trees. An old-fashioned fly swatter can help with the ones higher up on your plants.
Vacuum Up
A shop vac or handheld can be effective, though you’ll need to take additional steps to ensure the bugs are dead and be sure to clean your vacuum well afterward. Some of the lanternflies may survive their trip in, so empty with care and dispose in a sealed bag, or wait two days when they’ve died before emptying. Don’t wait too long, though, because the odor is not pleasant!
Set Traps
Attaching sticky traps to the trunks of affected trees can help catch them, though you’ll need to be cautious. It’s important that they are loosely covered from the top with a screening material to prevent birds going after the immobile spotted lanternflies from getting stuck. You can also use a simple lanternfly trap that funnels them into a container. The circle trap utilizes screening that’s wider at the base and wrapped around a tree trunk to funnel them into a container which they don’t escape.
Use Insecticides or Sprays
EPA-approved insecticides with active ingredients like imidacloprid, bifenthrin, dinotefuran, neem oil, and soybean oil can be used to kill spotted lanternflies. These ingredients are extremely effective, but exercise caution when using insecticides containing imidacloprid, bifenthrin, dinotefuran, neem oil, and soybean oil. Some of these ingredients can be harmful to humans and animals, so consider trying home remedies before resorting to chemical solutions.
Remove Host Plants
Spotted lanternflies will attach themselves to specific plants, like the Tree of Heaven and willow trees. To help get rid of them, you can remove the plants they prefer. You may have to use some other mitigation methods to help eradicate them, but getting rid of the plants they like is a step in the right direction.
Plant Milkweed
Spotted lanternflies love milkweed and will eat it, but it’s poisonous and will kill them. Also, because the sap is toxic to them, it slows them down before they die, so you can trap and kill them more easily.
Use Vinegar
Vinegar is immediately lethal to spotted lanternflies, whether in their adult or their nymph stage. White distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar is effective, and you can either dilute it or spray undiluted vinegar on them. Remember that vinegar can be harmful to some plants.
Spray Soap, Water, and Vegetable Oil
A mixture of water, mild dish soap, and vegetable oil is a simple, homemade way to kill them. Combine one tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1/4 cup dish soap, and one quart of water in a spray bottle, then spray the lanternflies. They will suffocate and die.
Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth, also known as DE, is a powder made from the fossils of microscopic sea creatures. It’s commonly used in pest control because the powder is abrasive to the lanternfly’s exoskeleton and will cause it to dry out and die. You can find DE and dusting canisters at home improvement stores, most gardening stores, or online. If you want to avoid sprinkling it all over your garden, combine one gallon of water with four tablespoons of diatomaceous earth, then spray the lanternflies.
Add Neem Oil
Neem oil originates from the Neem tree and is a naturally occurring fungicide and pesticide. When spotted lanternflies ingest the oil, they get sick and eventually die. To make a Neem oil spray, mix 4 teaspoons of Neem oil, 2 teaspoons of mild dish soap, and a gallon of water, then spray it right on the flies. Alternatively, many store-bought pest-control solutions contain Neem oil.
If you really want to help stem the surge of spotted lanternflies, you need to destroy the eggs, and that can be tricky. Lanternfly eggs are brown and set in tiny rows that are covered in a one-inch swath of light gray mud or lichen on a tree trunk or other object. (They aren’t fussy and will put their eggs on anything outdoors, like your lawnmower, garden furniture, or vehicle—though they’re most likely to be found high in the canopies of trees.) If you spot these clusters, use a knife, credit card, or other flat object to scrape away the eggs and dispose of them in a plastic bag filled with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol.
This article was adapted from an item on the Real Simple website, written by Lisa Hilbrand and published in May of 2026. See www.realsimple.com for details.
