Banizzle Experiments

Spotted lanternflies (SLFS) made it to our yard 7/30/24. I was absolutely terrified they would damage the plants. SLFS use a proboscis to draw sugars and nutrients out of plants and they have the potential to suck plants dry and kill them. Because they are an invasive species they have no known predators and can easily overwhelm a plant or tree and kill it. Their feces can also cause mold. This is a major concern for grape growers on the east coast. However, the Penn State extension has noted they do not appear to cause harm to cannabis plants: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-frequently-asked-questions I was still concerned as they did not appear to respond to neem oil foliar spraying or soil drenches. So I used a plastic water bottle with the neck cut off to place over the SLFS. They would then jump up into the bottle and I would close it off and crush them. I killed lots of them and saw a quick decline in their population for the remainder of the year. In the end I saw no harm done to my plants as a result of the SLFS, but the mold potential remains a concern for me.