Today I noticed something strange on a tree in my garden. It definitely wasn’t there a few days ago.
I came closer and realized with horror that these grey, as if dirty, bumps were… moving.
My heart sank, and then it became even more frightening when I learned that it was a clutch of eggs from a spotted lanternfly, a dangerous invasive insect.
These pests feed on plant sap and can destroy dozens of species of trees, shrubs and vines. They deplete plants, cause them to wilt, and leave sticky secretions that become home to sooty mold.
As a result, fruits spoil, harvests fall and young trees die.
To get rid of the spotted lanternfly, you need to: find and remove the egg masses by scraping them into a soap solution or alcohol; in spring and summer, destroy the larvae and adults, mechanically or with safe insecticides; if possible, remove their favorite host trees, such as the Ailanthus altissima.
The sooner you start fighting, the greater the chances of saving the garden.
