Spotted lanternfly sighting confirmed in Albemarle | Household & Backyard garden

The spotted lanternfly is recognized to destruction grapes, peaches, apples and hops, creating it a danger to house gardens and such agricultural fears as orchards and vineyards.

In accordance to Piedmont Learn Gardeners, the noticed lanternfly, or Lycorma delicatula, was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has been in Virginia considering the fact that January 2018. It generally was confined to the Shenandoah Valley, but it has been spreading to other elements of the point out by sneaking rides on automobiles.

Grownup spotted lanternflies are about an inch and a 50 % very long and 50 % an inch extensive and have black legs and heads and yellow abdomens with wide black bands. The wings have black spots and dashed black lines at the guidelines. On the hind wings, scarlet and black sections are divided by white stripes. An adult feminine will have a pink location on the finish of its abdomen.

This insect is particularly captivated to Tree of Heaven, or Ailanthus altissima, an invasive plant species with a strong presence in Virginia.

The insects mass on trees by the hundreds, secreting a sugary substance that triggers sooty mould to sort on branches, out of doors household furniture and patios. The mold, which releases a vinegar-like smell, can give the effect that the place has been scorched by hearth.