Hundreds of spotted lanternflies have crowded around a tree of heaven beside Heather Keyes’ Toledo driveway, leaving sticky residue in her yard. Keyes says she has killed hundreds and cannot park or sit there; the tree is on the neighboring property.
Keyes said her landlord has trimmed the parts reachable from her side, but the insects keep returning. County records cited by 13 Action News identify Mercer Holdings 1 LLC as the neighboring property’s owner. A Mercer Maintenance director said he knew about the tree problem, had spoken with Keyes and said she could trim portions extending onto her property. The station had not received a response from the owner by its Aug. 25 report.
The tree of heaven is the spotted lanternfly’s preferred host, according to the USDA. The sticky coating may include honeydew, excess sugar excreted by feeding lanternflies, Penn State Extension says; it can coat cars and patios, encourage black sooty mold and attract other insects. Metroparks Toledo says both invasive species are present locally and spotted lanternflies were first confirmed in Lucas County in 2022.
