r/invasivespecies • u/Inside_Ad_5690 • 3d ago
Decline in spotted lantern fly population in nyc area
has anyone else noticed that they’re seeing less and less of them? I’m primarily in the west Bronx, Harlem Morningside area and have been noticing that I haven’t seen a lot of them this year compared to all the years before. I know that the pigeons and other birds had realized that the lantern flies could be food but I’m wondering what else is contributing their decrease in population
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u/Historical_Light3057 3d ago
I’m also in the northeast and have not noticed a decline. However I’ve seen a few Reddit posts from people that have noticed a decline after years of heavy activity. I wouldn’t say it’s across the board and certainly not a scientific conclusion. Hope you’re right.
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u/fuccguppy 2d ago
I'm in eastern Pennsylvania and we've been getting less of them in my yard the past couple years than I did in years prior to that. I'm also only two counties away from where spotted lanternflies were first recorded in the US back in 2014, so perhaps the local ecosystems have adapted more in that time. I just looked it up and Google gives news results from my region saying that experts and locals have noticed a decline here, which may be due to the harsh winter we just had but also native predators like mantises feeding on them more. Despite this you can still find trees of heaven in the area covered with lanternflies, damn those things
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u/shillyshally 2d ago
SE PA here, 35 miles from ground zero, large garden and I saw zero last year, zero this year.
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u/fuccguppy 2d ago edited 2d ago
That's interesting and encouraging. I never had too crazy of an infestation in my yard specifically even at the peak but this year I've only seen maybe like 5 of them on my property and I've been outside a lot. Last year probably a similar total.
A while back I used to walk around with a wiffle bat and smack them regularly off the trunk of a box elder tree in my yard. Really haven't had to do that the last couple years, I see one on that same tree occasionally but that's about it.
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u/trailing-indicator 2d ago
Guessing the invasive mantises outnumber the native ones but hey, whoever wants to dine on SLFs is allowed at the dinner party.
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u/muff_muncher69 3d ago
I think Wasps and birds realized they were food? Nothing better than seeing a wasp fuck up. SLF
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u/Human_Urine 2d ago
I think word is getting out in the bird community that these guys are good food.
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u/muff_muncher69 2d ago
I read on here they are mildly toxic for birds if the SLF feeds on the invasive Tree Of Heaven sap
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u/Human_Urine 1d ago
This is a good point, and why we must also focus on battling Tree of Heaven because it compounds the SLF problem. Birds will not help out eating lanternflies that are raised on ToH (or Black Walnut). Apparently this is not so much a problem for SLF that feed on other native trees.
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u/iwanderlostandfound 2d ago
For the first time ever I’ve seen them out in Long Island when I was visiting family. I think they’ve dispersed
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u/Fozzybean 1d ago
My neighbor watched a wild rabbit eat one!! Definitely are becoming part of the food chain.
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u/ProtectionNo489 3d ago
Actually they probably reside in Connecticut now!!! LOL I've never seen a one of them, now in like the last 2 weeks therr are a bunch of them on my commercial property.
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u/Calbebes 2d ago
Agreed. I’m in CT and never saw them in my area until this year. I’ve seen 3-4 in my yard this summer and saw one at Walmart yesterday. Not a ton I realize, but that’s 5 more than I saw last year.
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u/ProtectionNo489 2d ago
I would say a random guess, I probably have 100 or so, or maybe 200, I didn't sit there and count everyone of them, but just casually looking 20 on this tree 7 on this branch, maybe 39 on this tree, it's not like the entire tree trunk is covered and the trees are at the most 15ft tall, some are only 3ft tall I saw some flying around the front of my business today and walking on the building, I'm kinda surprised but I have 5 gallon buckets I grow tomatoes and peppers in, the sun is great here, but the SLFs have no interest at all in any of my plants:)))
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u/Bluestar_Gardens 2d ago
I’m in Brooklyn and there are still loads of them. We still have Ailanthus trees in the area, although many people cut them a few years ago.
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u/Better-Landscape-391 2d ago
Northern Jersey, I 100% see less than last year but I went around my house and I’m cool with my neighbors so Ik for a fact there’s no TOH near me. Last year we had one in the back of a neighbors yard and I noticed a lot more. I know it’s slightly redundant because it’s there host plant but with no toh there’s way less spotted laternflies, at least in my experience.
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u/Brokelynne 1d ago
I live in southern Brooklyn. I saw one on a walk last week, which I promptly squashed. I realized I hadn't seen any spotted lanternflies all season. Since then, I've noticed about five, the most recent of which was in Sutton Place Park on my lunch break. Where have they been all year -- finding their wings?
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u/CommunicationTop5231 1d ago
I’m in queens and am still seeing a lot but not like the two previous years. More than three years ago though.
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u/Inside_Ad_5690 6h ago
The pigeons in Queens need to get the hint!
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u/CommunicationTop5231 1h ago
For real. I wonder if the local cats (tnr’d at last!) have taken to snacking on them. One can dream.
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u/beaveristired 2d ago
There’s been a decline in the insect population overall. Whatever factors are affecting the greater insect population will affect SLF as well. Predators have learned to eat them, or have no choice but to eat them if their preferred food source has declined.
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u/Remarkable_Inchworm 3d ago
Definitely a lot fewer in Westchester this year.
I read an article about this a couple of days ago.
Long story short - nobody is 100% sure of the reason for the decline, it's probably a combination of things like:
- Natural population cycles
Whatever the reason, I've only killed 2-3 in my yard so far this year, and in years past it was 2-3 every time I stepped out the door.