Spotted Lanternflies have been wreaking havoc all over Pennsylvania and making residents miserable. Many jump to any solution they can to rid themselves of these invasive insects. People are using everything from soap to pesticides!
A new, inexpensive solution being sold is sticky bands but do they really work?
When Spotted Lanternflies are in their nymph stage they don’t have wings. Therefore, the insect moves up and down on trees while feeding, making them vulnerable and easier to catch during this developing stage. This is when sticky bands are most effective.
This method is conducted by placing bands about 4 feet from the bottom of the tree and secured by pins. As the Spotted Lanternfly matures they use their wings to aid movement and can sometimes walk across the band without getting caught in the tape.
If you catch an adult Spotted Lanternfly using sticky bands the insect may still be alive. The danger is that you may be spreading the SLF to another location. Another issue you may encounter with your sticky bands is the potential of the band catching other beneficial creatures such as birds or mammals.
Sticky bands are an inexpensive and non-toxic way to kill Spotted Lanternflies. However, they are only effective at certain stages of the SLF lifecycle, and clean-up can be messy as well as capture additional unwanted creatures.
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