22 August 2023
Invasive noticed lanternflies are swarming over Pittsburgh proper now, particularly close to the railroad tracks. Everybody desires to kill them however the first answer that comes up on any Google search is a really, very unhealthy one. NEVER EVER use sticky tape to seize bugs. Glue tape kills birds!
Audubon Information, the supply of the embedded photograph above, wrote in regards to the hazards of glue tape final March: Meant to Catch Noticed Lanternflies, Glue Traps Are a Horrifying Hazard for Birds. Solely 10% of the trapped birds survive, even when they’re taken to a rehabber.
Raven Ridge Wildlife Heart in Lancaster County, PA has years of expertise with the hurt attributable to glue tape. This Fb report from 17 August 2023 is only one of them. Three of the 4 trapped woodpeckers died and the fourth is in bother.
So what are you able to do to kill lanternflies?
For bushes use the Circle Lure. You may make it your self. Directions discovered right here.
For house, make a easy vinegar lure :
Straight white vinegar plus dish liquid — possibly a 1/2 tsp — to interrupt the floor rigidity. (Insect by-catch on this photograph: a cicada.) Due to John English for this suggestion.
For private fight there are many options: Electrical “Tennis Racket” bug zappers, the Bug a Salt Gun, and so on. discovered by way of Amazon searches.
Watch a champion noticed lanternfly killer use these instruments in a video from VICENews:
video from VICENews on YouTube
p.s. Why are noticed lanternflies extra prevalent close to railroad tracks? They arrived as egg plenty caught to railcars and hatched from there. Their host tree is the Ailanthus, an invasive weed that grows alongside the rail traces. They have been first present in southwestern PA at a rail yard in Beaver County in 2020.
(photograph and video credit are within the captions)
