Knowing the life cycle is essential. It determines where you will find the pest during different times of the year. As the insect develops, it prefers other host plants. You can use Growing Degree Days (GDD) as a guideline for spotted lanternfly development to help determine where and when treatments should be targeted.
Instar Insects molt their exoskeleton to get larger. The time between molting is known as an instar. Growing Degree Days (GDD) measures ‘accumulated heat’ for the season and predicts when certain phenomena like egg hatching or instars are likely to occur. Contact your Territory Manager for GDD info in your area.
A Seasonal Diet
The spotted lanternfly is an opportunistic feeder that attacks just about any plant species available. However, it does have certain species that it prefers to feed on if they are present. As spotted lanternfly go through the various stages of their lives, their feeding habits also change.
Early in the season, they are commonly found on understory plants, feeding on the soft stems and leaves of rose, grapes, and even weeds in the yard. As they progress into their Fourth Instar and Adult phases, they prefer to feed on woody trunks and branches, sucking the sap directly out of the phloem with their piercing mouthparts. As fall progresses, adults shift their feeding to the tree species that are last to senesce for the year.
For more information about Spotted Lanternfly, including management and treatment options, download our comprehensive Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide.
