Knuth et al. 2025. Spotted lanternfly prefers developed areas over forested areas
by Daniel Knuth, Angela Berardo, Katherine Escobar, Aspen Pawlicki, and Dr. Allyson Jackson
Abstract
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), originally from Asia, is an invasive planthopper that has quickly spread across the northeastern US. The insect has a particular liking for Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), an invasive, but it can also survive on many other hardwoods. Our research was focused on 29 trees in total from four different species: Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), which we planted on the campus of Purchase College to find out if SLF abundance is affected by habitat type, tree species, and seasonal timing. We set up traps on the trunks and checked them every two weeks from the end of July until September to count the total number of third instars, fourth instars, and adults. It was found that SLF was more plentiful in developed areas compared to forested ones, and Black Walnut was among the trees with the highest SLF abundance. The number of adults increased through the sampling period while the fourth instars decreased as they changed to adults. These findings indicate the importance of habitat and host in the distribution of SLF in suburban areas.