We are hearing some mixed messages when it comes to the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), and want to provide some clarification from the Ohio perspective.  The SLF has been in the news, and definitely making its presence known on social media including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. One thing we are seeing more and more is the message of squishing, squashing, stomping, and smashing this invasive insect.

Yellowjackets (Vespula spp. and Dolichovespula spp.), Baldfaced Hornets (D. maculata), and Paper Wasps (Polistes spp.) belong to the wasp family, Vespidae. These wasps share many traits including defending their nest at all costs and an ability to sting multiple times without dying.

Common bagworms (family Psychidae) are so-named because the native moth caterpillars live in silk bags festooned with plant debris. It’s the perfect camouflage allowing them to remain undetected until their damage is revealed by their voracious appetites. The “bagworm season” is ending with the caterpillars transitioning from life in a tote bag to life in a sleeping bag.

The magnetic attraction of tree-of-heaven to spotted lanternfly makes the invasive tree a highly effective sentinel for detecting the invasive planthopper in Ohio. Of course, the investigative light shining on tree-of-heaven is also exposing web-nesting webworms.

This time of year, you may see wasps, ants and flies landing on shiny, sticky leaves. What are they doing there? Looking for and eating/collecting honeydew. So, what is honeydew?

Larcenous bees chew holes at the base of tubular floral corollas to practice nectar robbery. Darwin wasn’t the first to write about it. According to the literature, this criminal behavior has been known since 1793 when the German naturalist Christian Sprengel first reported observing bumblebees (Bombus spp.) puncturing flowers with their mandibles.

Ohio Department of Agriculture sprayed an infestation of Spotted Lanternfly on the West Side of Cleveland at Mohican Park.

When talking spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) lifecycle, this non-native invasive species is currently in the egg stage. Now is an excellent time to look for egg masses, and consider planning for management options for the 2023 season.

Check out the latest Turfgrass Times.

When I first saw the webbed nests of the Dogbane Webworm (Saucrobotys futilalis, family Crambidae) on Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum, family Apocynaceae), I thought the culprits were fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea, family Erebidae). After all, this native moth has a very wide host range and it’s not uncommon to find their nests on herbaceous perennials.