If last year was any indication of the lanternfly population, some local governments, nonprofits, businesses and volunteers are prepping now for another invasion.

For this year's upcoming lanternfly season, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will release more specifics in April about their work to track and control lanternfly infestations, Powers said.

The nymphs will emerge in early May.

Locally, some Girl and Boy Scout troops have already been seeking and snuffing out lanternfly egg masses on trees and outdoor surfaces and setting Penn State-designed circle traps on trees in North Park and Toms Run Nature Reserve in Kilbuck Township.

Educational outreach includes a recent lanternfly management workshop presented by the Allegheny County Conservation District in O'Hara Township for residents and others.

"Vacuuming can be effective in the nymph stage with a shop vac and circle traps are definitely what we recommend," said Hayly Hoch, natural resources outreach educator for the conservation district.

Lanternfly nymphs are flightless, hopping insects that emerge in May through July, and then metamorphose into flying adults in late July.

"We're really encouraged that folks are interested and not waiting for the sight of the adults, and thinking ahead," she said.

Hoch as well at the state Department of Agriculture stress that residents should find, remove and squish egg masses from trees and other outdoor surfaces and on boats and trailers now, before they hatch in May.

During a recent rainy day, the O'Hara Township Public Service department made circle traps to distribute free to workshop attendees.

The traps, which don't use exposed tape that can ensnare birds and other wildlife, were recommended by Penn State.

Lanternflies invaded township parks last year and residents reported damaged foliage, said Julie Jakubec, O'Hara Township manager.

They want to get ahead of the problem this year, she said.

"We are educating our folks and the public about how to help manage this invasive."

Last year, the township sent its public service employees to a lanternfly class and they set circular traps on trees in township parks where the insects congregated.

Every couple of weeks, township employees removed gallon bags filled with lanternflies. "We got a bunch of them for sure," said Todd Giammatteo, the township's public service superintendent.

"They are definitely a nuisance but aren't like the spongy moths that kill big oak trees," he said.

Jakubec compares the potential popularity of the circle traps to the Japanese beetle bags that property owners have used for that other invasive insect for years.

"If folks tell a few friends, more traps will be out," she said.

The township plans to post the specs for the Penn State circle traps online.

What researchers know

"We don't understand all of the underlying factors that are driving population trends," Walsh said.

Allegheny County residents reported slightly more lanternflies in 2022 than in 2023, with 24,156 sightings. However, reports don't necessarily reflect true population numbers, making it difficult to make predictions.

What Walsh can say with certainty is populations can dramatically drop and increase in localized areas. But he and other researchers don't know why the populations suddenly flatline.

"There are competing theories out there including natural population dynamics, natural predators, resources being depleted, or it could be something as simple as the weather," he said.

Also noteworthy is that lanternfly infestations occur within pockets of a region. "It can be five miles or less before you see another major infestation. We don't know why."

There is still much to learn.

For example, the Japanese beetle populations will cycle up and down. "You can have a really high population in one area and then you might not see them again for several years."

But can the spotted lanternfly have the same pattern?

Researchers don't know, though they can guess based on other insect populations, Walsh said. "At this point, we're staring into a crystal ball.

Are there more or fewer lanternflies in Pennsylvania than in the past?

"We've really struggled to quantify populations as a whole simply because their habitat is inaccessible in treetops. It's difficult to get counts, and they are constantly moving. Trying to track a moving target that small, it's difficult."

But given their range has expanded, he said, there probably are more lanternflies in the state.

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