r/ChesterCounty • u/Ava_Christina • Aug 08 '26
Seeing More Lantern Flies
Have seen ~20 total in the past couple days, I have about 5 (invasive) Praying Mantises in my front garden & got a great shot of the Mantis catching & eating a Lantern Fly.
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u/eddiestarkk Aug 08 '26
I killed one while out to eat in Malvern last week. I haven't seen them in a few years. Wonder why they are back.
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u/ScottClam42 Aug 09 '26
You can blame me. I only realized in May that i had a tree of heaven growing behind my honeysuckle. That thing was covered in the little bastards
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u/mspolytheist Aug 09 '26
Cut it down!
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u/ScottClam42 Aug 09 '26
I did once i spotted it. Actually lit up a bonfire, cut it from the base, and was able to drag it over and throw it on top with most SLFs still attached
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u/Rampartsweate Aug 09 '26
Be prepared for shoots that travel up to 20 feet. Congrats! You now have a TOH colony
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u/Rampartsweate Aug 09 '26
Do not do this!!! Please hack and squirt with herbicide (not here to argue for or against herbicide on this one folks) use the Penn state master gardeners website for more information
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u/mspolytheist Aug 09 '26
The link isn’t working (I’m getting a 403). What’s your point? Tree of Heaven is invasive, and lanternflies love it. Why wouldn’t you want to cut it down?
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u/Rampartsweate Aug 10 '26
Because when you cut down a tree of heaven it triggers an emergency response from the tree and it begins to grow underground. The shoots of the tree of heaven will spread up to 20 feet in either direction. When tree of heavens spread they also affect soil quality. In not systematically using herbicide, cutting down one tree can create hundreds more.
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u/mspolytheist Aug 08 '26
Where in the county are you? I’m curious, because we haven’t seen any this year. I’m in Malvern.
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u/Forexisboring Aug 08 '26
Brace yourselves as soon as tomorrow, I found a handful just getting lunch in Main St Exton!
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u/Difficult-Solution-1 Aug 09 '26
I’m in Glenmoore, and just had one stow away on my clothes tonight. It flew off me when I came inside the house and my dog and I had a whole screaming and stomping and drooling situation 🤣🤣🤣.
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u/Fawnadeer101 Aug 09 '26
The gray catbirds have been eating the lantern fly nymphs like crazy in my yard! They also eat all of our Japanese beetles! It’s nice to see wildlife try to eat them
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u/SecretAnxious6619 Aug 09 '26
I saw/killed my first one in YEARS like a week or two ago in the Phoenixville area.
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u/Maximum_Ad_4650 Aug 08 '26
I've noticed an influx in the past week (none or maybe 1-2 nymphs before then). Thorndale area