Spotted lanternfly nymphs have begun to invade Staten Island, particularly Silver Lake Park. These small, black insect nymphs feed on over 70 plant species, posing a threat to vital crops and plants in New York. While they are not flying yet, they can easily double in size with each molt. Control measures include scraping egg masses into an alcohol solution, smashing them, or vacuuming the nymphs and disposing of them in a soapy solution to manage their population effectively.
A recent visit by an Advance/SILive.com reporter revealed that lanternfly instars, or newly hatched nymphs, have literally invaded Silver Lake Park. Thousands could be seen hanging out amongst the trees, benches and across the landscape of the beloved recreation and relaxation locale.
The destructive insects, which are just beginning to take on their familiar red coloration, feed on more than 70 plant species, including tree-of-heaven. Not only are they a nuisance, they're also a threat to plants and crops that are critical to New York's agricultural economy.
Newly hatched nymphs are small (1/8 inch) and can be hard to find, but with each molt they roughly double in size. The first three instars are black with white spots, while the fourth is red with white dots and is roughly half an inch long.
If you see egg masses still on your trees, they can be destroyed by scraping them from the surface and putting them into an alcohol/hand sanitizer solution. You can also smash them to destroy them, burn them or double-bag them and throw them away.
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