Spotted lanternfly and your landscaper: quarantine permits, yard waste and plants

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Why does a landscaper need to think about spotted lanternfly?

Because much of what a landscaping crew carries is covered by the quarantine. The Department of Agriculture's quarantine order prohibits moving any living stage of spotted lanternfly, including egg masses, and regulates the movement of articles that may carry it. Its list of regulated articles reads like a landscaper's truck: landscaping, remodeling or construction waste; logs, stumps and other tree parts; firewood; nursery stock; pots and pallets; mowers and tractors, tarps, tile and stone; and any equipment and vehicles not stored indoors.

All residents and businesses must comply, the department says, and violations can bring criminal or civil penalties or fines.

Does a landscaping company need a lanternfly permit?

If it works in a quarantined county, yes. Penn State Extension, which runs the training with the Department of Agriculture, says businesses and organizations conducting business in the quarantine zone must have permits to move vehicles, equipment and goods within and out of the zone, and that any business hauling products into or within the zone needs one. Penn State's management guide says the quarantine now covers most counties in Pennsylvania.

The process is free. A designated employee, usually an owner, manager or supervisor, takes a self-paced online course and quiz. The Department of Agriculture then issues permits for the company's vehicles, with a tag to show on each. The designated employee must train the rest of the crew before giving them a permit, and Penn State's examples have the company keep training and inspection records for two years.

So it is a fair question for any landscaper: do you hold a lanternfly permit, and is the tag on the truck that will come to my house?

What does the insect do to a landscape?

Less than its reputation, in most yards. Penn State's management guide says heavy feeding has contributed to the death of grapevines, tree-of-heaven and black walnut saplings, but that the insect is not known to directly kill other plants. It treats spotted lanternfly as a plant stressor that may weaken established trees over time, and as "primarily a nuisance pest in residential landscapes."

The nuisance is real, though. Lanternflies excrete a sugary liquid, honeydew, that grows black sooty mold. Penn State says the mold can kill understory plants beneath dense groups of insects and can stain decks, patios and vehicles, and that the stains can be very difficult to remove. A new patio under a heavily used tree is worth thinking about at the design stage.

Young nymphs also feed on soft garden plants. Penn State says home gardeners have reported them on cucumber, basil, rose, peony, Russian sage and other plants, though serious damage to vegetables is seldom reported.

Where will you find the eggs?

On almost anything outdoors. Penn State says egg masses are laid from September to December on trees, decks, houses, rocks and outdoor equipment, under stone, on fences and on lawn furniture, covered with a gray-brown, mud-like coating. They hatch from late April to June, and adults are active from July until hard freezes. The quarantine's list of regulated articles includes stone, tile and outdoor furniture, and before stone or pavers leave a yard in the zone they should be checked.

What does Penn State say is worth doing?

• Scout before treating. Penn State stresses that not every tree in an infested area needs treatment, and that low numbers may not justify it.
• Destroy egg masses. Scrape them into rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, or smash them. Penn State is frank that you will not reach them all.
• Trap the nymphs. A funnel-style circle trap is the recommended trap for home landscapes. Penn State does not recommend sticky bands, because they catch birds, pollinators and other animals, and says never to use one without a wildlife barrier.
• Protect pollinators. Never spray any insecticide on plants in bloom.
• Deal with tree-of-heaven. It is a Class B noxious weed in Pennsylvania, and Penn State says the lanternfly thrives on it, though it does not need it to complete its life cycle. Removing it usually takes a herbicide.

Who may spray for it?

If a company sprays, it is pesticide work. The Department of Agriculture says a commercial applicator license is needed to apply pesticides on someone else's property, and Penn State says to check the applicator's certification card and category: ornamentals and shade trees are category 06. Penn State's guide adds that you may do some of this work yourself or choose to hire a pest management professional, and that using insecticides on nymphs or adults will not stop more lanternflies arriving later.

Does planting choice matter?

Somewhat. Penn State says conifers are not good hosts for the insect, and that adult lanternflies depend mainly on the woody stems of trees and vines. It also says promoting plant health may help reduce the stress of feeding. None of that makes a yard lanternfly-proof, and Penn State does not claim it does.

If you see lanternflies somewhere they have not been found before, Penn State says to report them, by calling 1-888-4BAD-FLY. For the wider rules on landscapers, see native and invasive plants and what Pennsylvania requires. Local businesses are on the landscapers directory page.

Sources

1. Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine and Permitting, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
2. Does Your Business Need a Spotted Lanternfly Permit?, Penn State Extension
3. Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide, Penn State Extension
4. Controlled Plant & Noxious Weed Lists, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
5. Choosing a Qualified Pest Management or Lawn Care Company, Penn State Extension
6. Pesticide Applicators, Registered Technicians, and Certification Exams, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture