Mid-Summer Alert: Protecting Long Island Landscapes from the Spotted Lanternfly

The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive plant-hopper native to Asia, has firmly established its presence in New York. Right now, it poses a severe mid-summer threat to Long Island’s local ecosystems, backyard gardens, and valuable agricultural industries.

First detected in New York State in 2020, this pest has rapidly spread. July marks a critical turning point in their life cycle on Long Island—making immediate, strategic action essential to protect your property before the insects reach full maturity.

July Transition: Red Nymph Stage.

Emerging Adults Swarming a Tree Trunk.

Right Now, on Long Island: The July Transition

If you look at your trees, vines, or backyard decks this month, you will notice the lanternflies changing rapidly. They are currently transitioning through two distinct phases:

• The Red Nymphs: The early-stage black nymphs are molting into their final, most striking nymph stage. They are now vibrant red with distinct black and white markings. They are highly active, jumping long distances when disturbed.

• The First Adults: By late July, the very first winged adults begin to emerge. At roughly 1 inch long, they have pinkish-gray forewings with black spots. When they hop or fly, they flash bright red underwings.

Why July is critical: Unlike nymphs, which can only crawl and hop, adults can fly. Eradication is much easier right now while they are still relatively contained to specific host plants.

Professional, Organic Eradication Services

When summer swarms grow too large for manual stomping, automated and targeted intervention is necessary. However, blasting a yard with harsh chemical pesticides kills beneficial local pollinators like honeybees, butterflies, and ladybugs.

To combat this, professional, 100% organic spraying treatments provide an eco-friendly knockout punch to July lanternfly populations.

How Our Organic Spraying Works

Organic management relies on highly effective, naturally derived botanical elements to control the pest population safely:

• Targeted Contact Organic Sprays: Using specialized organic compounds—such as high-grade horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps, and neem-based formulations—treatments coat active nymphs and adults on contact, eliminating them quickly.

• Natural Deterrents: Applications include botanical essential oils (like peppermint, rosemary, and cedarwood) that act as natural repellents, making your treated trees and ornamental plants highly unattractive to arriving pests.

• Pollinator Safety: Because organic sprays leave no long-term toxic synthetic residues behind on the foliage, treatments can be timed carefully to protect active, beneficial garden insects.

How You Can Take Action This Month

Managing this infestation relies heavily on community vigilance and direct action.

1.Check Favorite Host Trees:

Action for July.

Regularly inspect maples, grapevines, and smooth-barked trees for bright red nymphs and early adults clustering on trunks and branches.

2.Squish the Nymphs:

Action for July.

Stomp, swat, or crush any nymphs you can reach to prevent them from successfully molting into flying adults.

3.Schedule Organic Spraying Support:

Action for July.

When swarms of red nymphs overwhelm your landscape, schedule a targeted, organic spray application. This knocks down the active population immediately without contaminating your soil or harming local wildlife.

Note on Reporting: Because established populations are already officially documented across Nassau and western Suffolk County, the NYSDEC does not require active sighting reports from these areas. Focus entirely on protecting your property and destroying the insects on sight.