Entomologist USDA-APHIS Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Artificial single-sex aggregations of spotted lanternflies Lycorma delicatula (SLF) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) were placed on trees to evaluate their effects on SLF orientation, attraction, aggregation, and courtship activities over 11 weeks when adults were present. These artificial aggregation studies demonstrated that SLF actively engage in aggregation behavior, and that aggregation and mate-finding are driven by SLF-produced sex-specific signals. Our evidence supports the hypothesis that aggregation and sex pheromones play a role in these behaviors.
