Spotted lanternfly traps

Due to the range spread of the spotted lanternfly, the popularity of using sticky bands has increased.   Rehabilitators have seen a dramatic increase this year in birds, bats, snakes, squirrels, and even hawks caught on sticky tape. Our environment has enough problems, and our native wildlife doesn’t need another problem, especially one with an easy solution.

1. https://treebands.com/
2. https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-build-a-new-style-spotted-lanternfly-circle-trap
3. Place garden wire or try “gutter guard” mesh around the tape (not chicken wire... It’s still catching wrens since they are small they can squeeze through).
4. Please don’t use the tape without modifying it!  It’s killing beneficial insects, snakes, bats, birds, etc., and it’s not solving the lanternfly problem. 
5. If you are using fly strips for annoying flies, put the strip inside a small birdcage.

If you find an animal stuck to a sticky trap or tape or fly strips, PLEASE do not try to remove it.  Put paper towels on the sticky part and get the animal to a rehabilitator.  The animal needs to be removed in a certain way and washed to get the sticky off.  For example, if a bird loses too many feathers, or is not washed properly, it will not be able to fly and will perish in the wild.  

 Find a licensed rehabilitator at  pawr.com or https://ahnow.org/#/ 

Some of the problems we are facing in Eastern PA with the bands are people tear the birds or bats off the bands, ripping the skin and feathers. I’ve heard stories of people using peanut butter, WD40,  nail polish remover, further damaging or killing the birds or animals from improper removal. Or they remove the bird, it’s unable to fly, and they leave it there or place it in the bushes. They can’t fly because they are exhausted from struggling or have too much adhesive in their feathers.