The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive insect, native to Asia, that has been spreading rapidly across the northeastern United States since its first detection in 2014. This planthopper uses specialized mouthparts to pierce the bark of trees and suck the sugary sap from the phloem tissue. The damage is compounded when the insect excretes “honeydew,” a sugary waste product that encourages the growth of black sooty mold, interfering with photosynthesis. Knowing which trees the spotted lanternfly avoids is important for managing this pest and protecting landscape health.
Preferred Hosts: The Target Species
The life cycle of the spotted lanternfly is strongly linked to the invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), its primary host. This tree provides specific nutrients necessary for the insect to thrive, lay a maximum number of eggs, and complete its development. While the lanternfly can survive without it, populations reach their highest densities when Tree of Heaven is present.
Beyond this primary host, the insect targets plants with high-sugar sap, making many agricultural crops vulnerable. Grapes and stone fruits, such as peaches, plums, and cherries, are highly preferred hosts that can be weakened or killed by heavy feeding, especially late in the season. Other native hardwoods, including black walnut, willow, river birch, and maple varieties like silver and red maple, are also frequently fed upon by both nymphs and adults.
Trees That Spotted Lanternflies Avoid
Certain tree species appear to be non-preferred hosts and suffer minimal or no damage, even when lanternfly populations are high nearby. Conifers, such as pines, spruces, and cedars, are actively avoided. This aversion is likely due to the composition of their sap and their physical structure, as the SLF rarely uses them for feeding or egg-laying.
Mature, healthy trees of many native hardwood species also demonstrate resilience, often recovering from intense feeding pressure. While spotted lanternflies may opportunistically feed on trees like oaks, hickories, and American beech, they rarely congregate on them in the massive numbers seen on preferred hosts. Trees like the tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) are observed to be less susceptible to intense, prolonged infestation.
The distinction between a non-host and a resilient host is important. Some species are simply avoided, while others, like many maples, may be fed on but ultimately resist fatal damage. A tree that is avoided is generally one that the pest will not use sufficiently to complete its life cycle or will only use for brief, transient feeding.
Why Certain Trees Offer Resistance
The reasons why the spotted lanternfly avoids or survives poorly on certain trees are rooted in plant chemistry and nutrition. The insect is a phloem feeder, meaning it relies on sweet, nutrient-rich sap. Trees that offer resistance often have sap that is either nutritionally suboptimal or contains defensive compounds.
Host resistance is often a function of a tree’s secondary metabolites, which are chemical compounds that act as natural defenses. These compounds, which can include tannins or other toxins, make the sap unpalatable or toxic to the insect. In contrast, the Tree of Heaven produces chemicals that the SLF has evolved to tolerate and possibly sequester for its own defense.
The physical structure of the tree’s phloem tissue or its sap pressure may also present a challenge to the insect’s specialized piercing mouthparts. For native hardwoods like maple and birch, recent studies suggest that resistance is largely physiological. While feeding may temporarily slow their growth, their strong natural ability to recover and store energy allows them to bounce back quickly once the feeding pressure is reduced.