Last week’s editorial about lanternflies mentioned using sticky paper or backwards duct tape around infested trees to help mitigate the problem.
A reader brought to our attention that this process, while recommended in past years, has had unintended effects of trapping non-harmful wildlife such as birds and beneficial insects. For this reason, experts now recommend using a wildlife barrier – such as flexible window screening – around sticky traps, which will greatly reduce the chances of trapping creatures other than lanternflies.
More information on how to construct a wildlife barrier is available at extension.psu.edu/how-to-create-a-wildlife-barrierfor- a-spotted-lanternfly-sticky-band-trap.
We thank this reader for bringing this to our attention, and hope others will take note of it, as well.
