Perspective on the Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly

Photo: Adult Spotted Lanternfly, Cbaile19, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nicole Patrick

Since the spotted lanternfly first made its presence known in Virginia in 2018, we have been faithfully stomping, squashing and squishing the invaders, which the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources describes as a “vampire in a black tuxedo, white shirt, and red bowtie.” The now infamous invasive species has made its home throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic and is present in at least 19 U.S. states.

The damage spotted lanternflies can do to native plants is well-documented; they feed on a wide variety of our native species, including grapevines, fruit trees and hardwood trees, and they have few natural predators. To date, Fairfax County has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to control the spread of the spotted lanternfly by targeting its preferred host, the invasive Tree of Heaven. But is the thinking around how to approach this widely-decried pest beginning to shift?

Spotted Lanternfly nymph. Photo: WanderingMogwai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Smithsonian Entomologist Greg Ose reports that he and his team receive a high volume of reports and questions related to spotted lanternfly activity and their ongoing presence in our area – but, he says, they are no longer a cause for alarm. In November 2025, Ose wrote in an article in the Smithsonian Gardens newsletter that he expects the spotted lanternfly to “drift into obscurity,” hopefully becoming simply another garden “nuisance.” 

Further, while “not easily containable, [spotted lanternflies] are treatable and in severe cases, select treatments are warranted.” Ose’s recommendations? Regular inspection and prevention (e.g., removal of Tree of Heaven), destroying egg masses, and yes – squishing and swatting adults when they appear in your garden. To destroy egg masses, Ose recommends using a stiff card to scrape egg cases into a plastic bag filled with a little hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol, then throwing the bag in the trash.

Spotted Lanternfly egg sac. Photo: aberkov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Importantly, he notes that pesticides available to treat spotted lanternflies also will kill other insects, including pollinators and would-be predators. According to Ose, the risk of harming these beneficial species is not worth it. And you should never, ever use sticky glue traps, which may unintentionally ensnare birds and other wildlife. There are other ongoing control efforts available to monitor and manage the presence of the lanternfly, including public education campaigns and non-chemical removal. 

Even more promising, potential new natural predators, such as bats, are emerging. Birds also can play a critical role in helping us control the spread of spotted lanternfly populations going forward. Evidence suggests that birds could become a significant natural predator – with a little encouragement. Using iNaturalist, community scientists have logged observations of more than 33 different species eating the lanternfly. Some of the best ways to help birds along are well-known to us: provide water for drinking and bathing, nesting sites and native plant species. 

Invasive plant removal also has a part to play in ongoing management of the lanternfly. The aforementioned Tree of Heaven is known to make the lanternflies taste bitter to birds; removing the invasive tree may make the lanternfly a more appealing food source to birds and other native predators. 

Perhaps, then, the best thing we can do going forward as stewards of our native environment is to educate ourselves and others. While spotted lanternflies are not to be ignored, it is time to stop panicking and start directing our efforts toward supporting the native species that can have a meaningful impact on lanternfly populations.

Learn More:

Spotted Lanternfly, Fairfax County Public Works and Environmental Services, available at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/spotted-lanternfly 

Greg Ose, “Garden Foe: The Spotted Lanternfly,” Smithsonian Gardens, Nov. 24, 2025, available at https://gardens.si.edu/learn/blog/garden-foe-the-spotted-lanternfly/ 

Carlyn Kranking, “Birds Are One Line of Defense Against Dreaded Spotted Lanternflies,” Audubon Magazine, Sept. 17, 2021, available at https://www.audubon.org/magazine/birds-are-one-line-of-defense-against-dreaded-spotted-lanternflies 

Tree of Heaven, Blue Ridge Prism Fact Sheet, available at https://blueridgeprism.org/factsheets

Nicole Patrick, an enthusiastic birder and writer, is a  lifetime northern Virginia resident.

Tree-of-Heaven is not heavenly!

Photo: Tree of Heaven, Margaret Fisher

Cindy Speas, Chair
Fairfax County Tree Commission

In summer many folks travel to the Shenandoah Valley and beyond for recreational opportunities. Driving in any direction from northern Virginia in the growing season, you will see an attractive-looking tree everywhere along the highways and byways. The dramatic clusters of seeds are so large they look like giant flowers among the leaves. It’s not native walnut or native sumac—it is Ailanthus altissima, commonly called Tree-of-Heaven. Disturbed areas and rights-of-way along roads are perfect locations for this opportunistic pest to colonize. Ailanthus is popping up in suburbia as well, and even tree-loving experts are calling for us to remove these attractive and fast-growing specimens from our properties as soon as possible.

Tree of Heaven with Spotted Lanternfly inset, Margaret Fisher

Ailanthus was imported from China and widely distributed in the United States as an ornamental in the late 1700s and 1800s. Its behavior, though, is far from heavenly—it spreads aggressively through root sprouting and huge seed production; it grows to maturity rapidly with a very long taproot; it is characterized by its terrible odor; and it poisons the ground around its roots with chemicals, in a process called allelopathy. This prevents native trees and plants from growing nearby, allowing Ailanthus to spread quickly and dominate our landscape. 

Even worse, Ailanthus is the preferred food source for a new invasive insect—the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). In spite of state quarantines, this destructive pest has been found in Fairfax County. It is a major threat to some of Virginia’s agricultural areas, especially our vineyards, peach orchards, and hops fields. It also is a threat to native tree species like oaks and maples that thrive in our yards. Forest Pest Branch asks all residents to report Ailanthus following the instructions in this brochure and report Spotted Lanternfly sightings here. 

Some may still ask why these non-native trees should be removed—don’t they at least provide shade and shelter in a warming world? They certainly can, but they crowd out our native oaks, beeches, hickories and maples, as well as fail to provide the critical food resources that native insects and other animals need to live and reproduce in a fully functioning, healthy ecosystem. If a plant like this is killing off or threatening major parts of our local natural food web, the entire system will eventually collapse. And we will lose our native tree canopy along the way.

How can we stop the spread of this nasty invasive? First, of course, do not purchase it! So be sure to learn how to identify it. You can become familiar with the iNaturalist app on your smartphone or use other online resources to name the plant. When in doubt, try crushing a leaf and smelling it: the odor is similar to rancid peanut butter. Second, remove the tree if it is growing on your land. This pest, however, thrives when simply cut down, so you will have to kill the root system right away. There are some very useful resources to help landowners eliminate this threat safely and efficiently. Blue Ridge Prism has excellent fact sheets with details about herbicide use for this and other invasive species. 

Visit Plant Nova Natives for more information about invasives and their destructive roles in our native environment. It would be truly heavenly if we could eliminate a threat like the Tree-of-Heaven.