Spotted lanternflies have begun hatching around Pittsburgh

It’s the beginning of another season for an invasive pest that caused a lot of headaches last summer and this year will be even worse.

Spotted lanternflies have begun hatching around the Pittsburgh area.

Andy Amrhein, owner of Evey True Value in Bethel Park and host of the True Value Home Improvement Show on KDKA Radio says due to the warmer weather this past few days, lanternflies are hatching just a big ahead of schedule.

With temperatures more consistently in the 60s and 70s, not much of a winter to speak about and a milder spring, the invasive species out of Asia are beginning to hatch a week or two earlier than expected.

Amrhein says he’s been monitoring trees on his property to see when they would start to hatch and said that happened within the past 48 hours.

While the lanternflies are beginning to hatch, most people won’t notice them because they’re so small, hiding at the bottom of trees and in brush.

Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll start to see the nymphs, which are black with white spots.

Amrhein says normal insecticides (chemical and organic) will kill the bugs but you have to be a good aim if you want to hit them directly.

The lanternflies will be at their worst in late summer-early fall with swarms of the pests all over the area.

Amrhein says this summer will likely be worse compared to last season with a larger volume of the bug.

Spotted lanternflies love grape vineyards along with maple and other “sweet-tasting” trees.

Smaller trees, that haven’t been well-established yet are susceptible to being killed by the pest.

The good news, Amrhein says it’s predicted the lanternfly will begin to be less of an issue in 2025, as more predators continue to learn they can eat them.

He compares the lanternfly to the stink bug of years past: there were a few bad years and then mother nature adjusted.