It’s officially spotted lanternfly squishing season in Connecticut. The flying pests have been landing on people in downtown Hartford, congregating near city buildings and littering the sidewalk.
Hartford’s city forester, Sophia Rodbell, says the bugs could be gathering in the state’s capital because of an invasive tree that likes to grow in urban environments and is the insect’s preferred host.
The tree, known as tree-of-heaven, provides food for the spotted lanternfly in the form of sap. That sap also makes the bug chemically toxic to predators.
“They're not directly killing the trees, but what they do is suck a lot of the sap. They're sap suckers, they're leaf hoppers, and their excrement is really sweet and sticky, which creates sooty mold everywhere, and that sometimes can lead to reduced photosynthesis on trees,” Rodbell said.
“It can block out the leaf’s ability to accept in sunlight because there’s mold all over them,” she said.
While Hartford has documented 375 trees-of-heaven, that’s probably an undercount. The invasive tree often grows on private property and can sprout quickly, meaning the city likely has thousands more, according to Rodbell.
“If you ever see a tree growing out the side of an old brick building or along the highway, all of those are typically tree-of-heaven,” Rodbell said.
The invasive tree can also grow along sidewalks, fences and driveways.
The city has been removing the trees for years as a way to control the spotted lanternfly population, but in certain hotspots, they’re using the trees against the pests by injecting them with an insecticide meant to kill off the bug.
“In heavy infestation areas, where we can utilize them to combat spotted lanternfly, that is what we're doing. But in other areas where we might not have a very serious infestation of spotted lanternfly, we are actively removing tree-of-heaven when we can,” Rodbell said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is treating tree-of-heaven hotspots across Hartford, according to Rodbell.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
