Several States Report: Lanternfly Insect Can Get Into The Home By Attaching it’s Eggs to a Fresh Cut Live Christmas Tree

Several States Report: Lanternfly Insect Can Get Into The Home By Attaching it’s Eggs to a Fresh Cut Live Christmas Tree

So many people around the world enjoy having a live Christmas tree in their home during the holiday season. Some people may have always had a real Christmas tree. Some folks like the smell. If you are a live tree enthusiast and you are going to put up a live Christmas tree this year, please be aware of the lanternfly problem and how it is currently affecting the live Christmastree industry in America.

If you purchase a live tree, it is important to carefully inspect each tree, one row of branches at a time. The taller the tree, there are more rows of branches to inspect. Remember, inspect all the way to the trunk of the tree. Perform this operation for every level of branches on the tree. A good way to figure whether you looked at all the rows of branches is to average approximately one foot of Christmas tree for every row of branches on the Christmas tree. It’s important that you diligently inspect the tree, all the way to its trunk, from top to bottom. The laying of eggs, takes place mostly on or near the trunk of the tree. Just be extra careful and make sure that you look inside the tree very carefully and check the trunk for possible infestations. That’s really all you can do.

Before you purchase a live Christmas tree this year, just make sure that YOUR fresh cut Christmas tree isn’t one of the affected trees. Several states have reported lanternfly sitings, so Google and find out if your state is one of them. Ask a lot of questions at the tree lot too. The personnel at the tree lot should be knowledgeable about the problem. If the personnel at the tree lot act shady when you mention “lanternflies”, you know that you need to shop for your live Christmas tree somewhere else.

This document was published by Team Santa Inc. to encourage awareness related to the lanternflies problem and how it is currently affecting crops of live Christmas trees in America. Team Santa Inc. has a considerably sized fan base and we believe that it’s appropriate to raise awareness among that base. It is not meant in any way as an attempt to sway public opinion between live or artificial Christmas trees. We want fans of Team Santa Inc. to have a safe and healthy holiday season. That’s all that matters. Please make sure to do your own research on the Internet and feel free to share these tips with family and friends to steer clear of lanternflies this holiday season.‎

Until next time… Happy Decorating! 😎

Warmest Wishes,

Team Santa Inc.

www.teamsanta.com

‎

Please allow 5-7 business days for delivery. Offers only good while supplies last.

Lanternfly Warning For Six States Can Infest Your Home Through Real Christmas Trees

**Spotted Lanternflies Can Infest Your Home Through A Live Christmas Tree**

Lanternfly Warning For Six States Bug Can Infest Your Home Through Real Christmas Trees

The spotted lanternfly could spoil many families’ holiday season, according to New Jersey agricultural expert Joseph Zoltowski, director of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry, speaking to NJ.com.

Zoltowski says the tree-killing insect could potentially spread to homes by hiding in Christmas trees and leaving eggs to hatch. The spotted lanternfly, which is a native of eastern Asia, arrived in the U.S. four years ago in Pennsylvania and has spread throughout the eastern parts of the state.

The bug has recently been detected in three New Jersey counties—Hunterdon, Mercer and Warren. It is believed to spread by attaching itself and its eggs to vehicles carrying wood, landscaping materials and agricultural produce, which would include the bark and branches of Christmas trees. “They’re very hard to spot,” said Zoltowski.

A woman in Warren County, New Jersey, confirmed that she found lanternfly eggs attached to her Christmas tree once the insects hatched inside her home, according to Zoltowski. The expert said that there were two egg masses discovered in the bark, which are capable of storing as many as 30 to 50 eggs each.

Zoltowksi suggests that those planning to get a pre-cut Christmas tree should inspect every branch carefully for eggs and both live and dead insects before making a purchase of a live Christmas tree. Though the tree itself would only be killed by a large number of these insects, any presence of the bugs could spread in your home. “It’s a bad bug in that it could affect all types of agriculture,” Zoltowski said.

According to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture: “The Spotted Lanternfly adult is approximately 1 inch long and a half-inch wide at rest. The fore wing is grey with black spots and the wings tips are reticulated black blocks outlined in gray. “The hind wings have contrasting patches of red and black with a white band. The legs and head are black; the abdomen is yellow with broad black bands. Immature stages are black with white spots, and develop red patches as they grow.

“Adults and nymphs feed on phloem tissues of young stems with their piercing and sucking mouth parts and excrete large flies
quantities of liquid (honeydew) [which] facilitates the growth of sooty mold,” reports the department. Grape and apple growers in Pennsylvania are on high alert as female lanternflies are laying eggs for the following year, according to
American Agriculturalist.

“All lanternflies are in their adult stage right now, and females are laying eggs on hard surfaces such as trees, stones, fences, fence posts or vineyard posts,” according to American Agriculturalist’s report. “Spotted lanternflies have an apparent appetite for grapes, wine or juice, with 200 to 250 feedings per vine.”

For more information read The New Jersey Department of Agriculture guidelines on spotted lanternfly identification and reporting. Written by Jason Hall at Newsweek.com