Spotted Lanternfly Awareness – Sustainability Tip
Ammie Faunce • March 14, 2023
With the gradual transition to warmer weather in the area, we’re starting to see the growth of many new spring plants and other types of vegetation. Unfortunately, this warmer weather also means that many invasive pests are beginning to emerge from winter eggs as well.
One of these invasive pests, and the focus of this blog, is the Spotted Lanternfly (referred to as SLF). This insect has been in the United States since 2014 and is once again emerging from its winter eggs in the Pittsburgh region. SLF’s feed on over 70 plants including Maple trees, Birch trees, Willow trees, and grapevines. This feeding can cause damage and even death to young plants! Once fed, SLFs excrete honeydew, a sugary waste, that attracts wasps, bees and black fungi.
Damage and death to these plants have quite a negative effect on Pennsylvania’s economy. According to Penn State Extension, the Spotted Lanternfly has cost Pennsylvania about $50 million both in direct costs and loss of profit and continues to be a growing issue. These pests can also impact your vegetation!
Here’s how you can help:
- Physically remove or destroy Spotted Lanternflies and egg masses when you see them! Check weekly if possible.
- If your plants are prone to Spotted Lanternflies, consider setting up a trap to avoid these springtime pests. (See other natural methods of killing this pest below.)
- Report sightings to https://services.agriculture.pa.gov/SLFReport/.
- Inspect vehicles, trailers and any outdoor items before movement within or outside of a quarantine zone.
- Inform others to inspect, destroy and report Spotted Lanternflies!
Natural methods to safely kill Spotted Lanternflies:
- Vinegar – Spray directly on the bug but please note that vinegar can also damage the plant as well, so be careful where you spray it.
- Dish soap mixed with water – Spray directly on the bug; you can also spray this solution over areas where you think Lanternflies frequent.
- Dish soap trap – Use the same formulation as above, but here you’ll also add a small amount of apple cider vinegar into a dish or jar to catch bugs. Simply place it where you’d like and wait for the bugs to be lured into the trap.
- Sticky strips – Either store-bought or made at home, stick or wrap strips to your tree or other areas that the bugs frequent.
- Neem oil – Put the liquid into a spray bottle and spray directly on bugs.
Add some fun to it!
You may not know, but there’s an app to make squishing the Spotted Lanternfly fun! It’s called ‘Squishr’ available on the Mac app store. The developer notes that the app was created to:
- Make squishing the Spotted Lanternfly fun.
- Record the date, time and location of Spotted Lanternfly sightings and share with State Departments of Agriculture. This data will help authorities understand where Spotted Lanternflies are and how they are spreading over time.
Learn more about Spotted Lanternflies and how to protect your plants at https://lanternflies.org
The Bethel Park Farmers’ Market will kick off its 19th year on Tuesday, May 6 from 3-7 p.m. and run Tuesdays through Oct. 14 for an extended season! The Market is located in South Park directly off Corrigan Drive near the Ice-Skating Rink and welcomed over 2,000 shoppers each week last year. This season, guests can look forward to an improved layout to allow for food trucks to be in a separate section along with periodic kids’ activities, entertainment (there are still a few openings; contact Sarah if interested at skomatsu@bethelparkpa.gov ) , and more such as recipes posted on the Farmers’ Market website inspired by ingredients from each week’s vendors! St. Clair Hospital will be at the Market regularly (weekly July through September) offering complimentary health screenings, providing information, and sponsoring the “Food Assistance Match” (FAM) program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to fresh, nutritious food from local farmers and small businesses to individuals and families most in need. “Without St. Clair Health, we wouldn’t be able to offer FAM,” said Assistant Recreation Director Lindsey Sibert. “It’s such a wonderful service enabling almost everyone to have access to fresh food.” FAM multiplies the buying power of food assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC, the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and others enabling patrons using these programs to take home up to three times more locally-sourced food and goods. Sibert also acknowledged the Bethel Park Community Foundation for being an ongoing sponsor. “Their sponsorship enables us to purchase items such as tables, chairs, raincoats, tents, and more all leading to an extremely positive guest experience; we’re grateful for their support!” This year, the Market also has a new coordinator, Events Coordinator Sarah Komatsu . Komatsu will be managing the Bethel Park Farmers’ Market, ‘No Cook Tuesdays,’ and Indoor Markets while also providing support for various Municipal special events. With a focus on enhancing community engagement, she brings a decade of experience in event management and community engagement from her prior positions in both Arizona and California. “ I think we strike a really good balance and are one of the larger farmer’s markets in the area with a lot of unique products,” said Komatsu. “Our Market becomes a one stop shop for guests where they can come to fill their pantry or fridge for the week and to also pick up a prepared dinner.” This year, the Market will have 35 full-season, 12 half-season and six monthly rotating vendors . New vendors include Amazing Books and Records (a used book and records store), Chocolate Moonshine (chocolates, fudge and truffle bars), and Billy’s Country Smoke House (offering smoked meats, preserved meat sticks and homemade sausages). For complete details on all vendors, including full or half season and visiting vendors, please visit: http://www.bethelparkpa.gov/vendors. To be the first to know about all Market news, follow us on Facebook ( Bethel Park Farmers’ Market ) and visit our website where you can sign up to be a ‘fan’ to receive Farmers’ Market emails. For full details on the Bethel Park Farmers’ Market, visit www.bethelparkpa.gov – ‘Recreation’ – ‘Bethel Park Farmers’ Market.’ You can also call 412-851-2910 . For more information on FAM, visit FoodAssistanceMatch.org .
Bethel Park Named Best Place to Move In Pennsylvania by ConsumerAffairs! Bethel Park has just earned the top spot as the "#1 Best Place to Move To In Pennsylvania," according to a recent report by ConsumerAffairs! The honor comes due to Bethel Park’s unique blend of affordability, safety and overall quality of life. Here’s what makes Bethel Park stand out: Best Overall Safety : Bethel Park was noted for having the second lowest violent crime and property crime rate in the state. Great Affordability : Recognized for having the lowest home-to-income ratio among large Pennsylvania cities. Well-Educated Population : With 97.2% of its residents having at least a high school diploma, Bethel Park ranks fifth in the state. Accessible Health Care : With 30.5 health care professionals per 1,000 residents, Bethel Park ranks fifth for health care accessibility. ConsumerAffairs described Bethel Park as a family-friendly suburban environment with numerous parks and recreation programs having easy access to downtown Pittsburgh via the Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail line. Read the report here! 5 Best Pennsylvania Moving Companies (2025) | ConsumerAffairs®
Monthly Yard Waste Dropp Off begins Saturday April 19th!
The PRT Silver Line Could be Shut Down in 2026; Here's How You Can Help!
Meeting Cancellation:
Bethel Park Farmers’ Market Returns for its 19th Season!
Spring leaf collection will be held May 12-16 . Leaves need to be in lawn and leaf bags and placed at the curb no later than 6 a.m. on your regularly scheduled pickup day . As a reminder, different trucks are used for trash, bulk, recycling and leaf collection.
Over 600 positions ready to be filled!
The Municipality of Bethel Park experienced a cyber incident yesterday evening when our website was compromised and unauthorized, inappropriate images were uploaded. Upon discovering the breach, we acted immediately in collaboration with our hosting company to remove the offensive content and restore the site to its original condition as quickly as possible. Following a thorough discussion with our hosting provider this morning, we were assured that the breach occurred on their end and not within the Municipality’s systems. The website hosting provider and the Bethel Park Municipality systems are not linked. We were also informed that similar incidents affected other client websites of the hosting company. The hosting company is actively investigating the root cause of this breach and has committed to providing us with a detailed report by early next week. They also stated that, at this time, there is no evidence of any user data being breached. Additionally, credit card information is stored on an entirely separate transactional system. The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office was contacted and is investigating further. The security of our online presence remains our top priority. We are working closely with the hosting company to implement additional measures and ensure that such incidents do not recur. We appreciate your understanding.
Website Security Breach