The Spotted lanternfly has finally made it’s way to Locust Valley, Lattingtown, Bayville and surrounding areas. Spotted Lanternflies first made it’s way to Pennsylvania in 2014 and most notably taking over Philadelphia a few years later. Since the start of summer they have been rapidly making their way through Locust Valley and spreading to more and more properties. They are primarily attracted to Trees of Heaven or as some locals call them, Bayville Palms. The US Department of Agriculture has called to crush nymphs and adult insects immediately.
Signs of an Infestation
Oozing wounds and adult SLF on a tree
Sap oozing or weeping from tiny open wounds on tree trunks, which appears wet and may give off fermented odors.
One-inch-long egg masses that are brownish-gray, waxy and mud-like when new. Old egg masses are brown and scaly.
SLF excrete liquid waste called honeydew that builds up under plants, sometimes encouraging the growth of black sooty mold.
What to do if your property is infested
Remove Trees of Heaven and Spray the stumps with herbicide
Vinegar kills spotted lanternflies on contact.
Soap and Water (Dawn or related brand dish soap works fine.)
Milkweed Bait (They feed on the sap which later poisons and kills them.)
About The Spotted lanternfly 
(Lycorma delicatula) or SLF, is an invasive insect pest from Asia that primarily feeds on trees of heaven (Alianthus altissima). They can lay their eggs on vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture, stone, and which are inadvertently transported to new areas, causing the insect to spread.
About Trees of Heaven
The tree of heaven was brought from China to the United States in the late 1700s as a horticultural specimen and shade tree. Its ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or disease problems made it popular when planning urban landscaping.
