Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #429154
Research Project: Advanced Production and Automation Systems for Temperate Fruit Crops Through Discovery and Integration

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

Title: Observations of adult Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), behavior on Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima

Author
item NIXON, LAURA - Rutgers Agriculture Research & Extension Center
item Barnes, Caitlin
item ELSENSOHN, JOHANNA - Former ARS Employee
item Bierer, Andrew
item Tabb, Amy
item Leskey, Tracy

Submitted to: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/23/2025
Publication Date: 5/5/2026
Citation: Nixon, L., Barnes, C.J., Elsensohn, J., Bierer, A.M., Tabb, A., Leskey, T.C. 2026. Observations of adult Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), behavior on Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saag004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saag004

Interpretive Summary: Spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect now found in 19 Eastern states. This sap-feeding plant hopper is causing significant damage to grape production, reducing health of vines and overall yield. Because we still don't have a reliable monitoring system for this pest, we examined fine-scale behavior of adult spotted lanternfly on the trunks of their favored host plant, the invasive tree of heaven. We found that in late September males and females pair off and begin mating and egg laying. This period of time should be targeted for future studies aimed at identifying promising attractants such as pheromones or vibrational sounds that could be used to increase the sensitivity of monitoring traps for assessing pest presence and activity in vineyards.

Technical Abstract: Lycorma delicatula, commonly known as spotted lanternfly, is an invasive phloem-feeding insect which was first detected in the USA in 2014. It is now present in 19 states and has been established as a serious pest in specialty crops (e.g. cultivated vineyards) and a nuisance pest in residential areas. Despite ongoing studies into methods for monitoring and biosurveillance, an effective attractant has not been identified. In this study, we recorded adult L. delicatula on the trunks of A. altissima from late August to mid-November in 2020, 2021, and 2023. We observed adults on mature trees from the ground to two meters above every two weeks between 0700AM-1100AM, and recorded every aggregation, individual, and pair of L. delicatula present. For each aggregation, the number of adults (aggregation size), sex of each of adult, aggregation area, distance from ground level, and notable behaviors were recorded (feeding, resting, walking up or down, courtship and mating). Our data on aggregation size, individuals and male-female pairs found no evidence of a relationship with day of year (DOY) beginning in September. However, male-female sex ratio approaches 1 in late September; reproductive behaviors occur around the same sex ratio. Feeding was the most frequently observed behavior throughout all years and continued throughout the mating and oviposition period. Our data indicates targeting the period when courtship and mating begin may provide opportunities for identification of novel olfactory or vibroacoustic stimuli for monitoring or biosurveillance.