Invasive pests are among us, but hopefully not yet in our area. But they are coming. Be ready! We have been fairly blessed so far in the Central Great Plains Region to not have too many invasive pests. However, there is no barrier to stop them from coming sooner or later. So we need to prepare for them now and hope for new ways (safer) to remove them from the landscape.
We already have to deal with Japanese beetles and Emerald Ash borer. EAB continues to march across the state of Kansas, being detected in Nemaha, Lyon, and Osage counties in 2024. I would expect to see Marshall, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee counties in Kansas to be added in 2025. Japanese beetles can be found in the eastern 1/3 of Kansas and are slowly moving westward.

Coming Invasive Pests
There are always new pests to worry about. Besides our native pests like bagworms, two-spotted spider mites, and a myriad of caterpillars, we now have to concern ourselves with learning about new pests coming. We must prepare now or face the consequences when they arrive. How do they get here? Well, most insect pests arrive via boats in infect plants or soil. But they could possibly ride along with humans too.
Box Tree Moth
Box tree moth is the first of 2 invasive pests I am going to go over. It is a moth whose caterpillar is the problem. Native to temperate Asia, the box tree moth was first detected in North America in 2018, in Canada. It was first found in the United States in 2021, in New York. Since then, it has spread to 5 other states. Box tree moth will likely be spread farther out more quickly by infected nursery stock from unscrupulous nurseries. There are quarantines in place, but there is no guarantee that they will stop the spread. Just slow it down a little.
The moth looks like one of our native melonworm moths. The main difference is that the box tree moth only feeds on boxwood. And we have a lot of boxwoods in North America. It seems inevitable that our nonnative evergreens would get another pest to take them out. Remember, we are just coming out of the boxwood blight times.

Box tree moths lay eggs on the leaves of boxwood, which in turn hatch into caterpillars. These feed in mass on the leaves, making a webbing. If uncaught, they will defoliate the plant and then eat the bark of the stems, killing the boxwood. Box tree moth can be treated with an insecticide which targets caterpillars, such as Spinosad or Bifenthrin. If you find box tree moth in your landscape, check with you local extension agent or state department of agriculture to confirm whether its a new location for quarantine procedures.

Spotted Lanternfly
While I have talked about this pest before, it is always good to have an update. The spotted lanternfly was introduced into North America in 2014 from Eastern Asia. Because the egg mass looks like a little slap of mud, it would be easily missed by commercial trading companies. We do not know how it arrived. As far as invasive pests go, spotted lanternfly could be worse than Japanese beetle.
This insect is a member of the treehopper group, which have piercing-sucking mouthparts. All life stages attack a variety of plants, including grapes, hops, stone fruits, and hardwood trees. Its preferred host is tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which is an invasive plant across the country. It has been suggested and recommended to remove tree of heaven to help slow or prevent the spread of spotted lanternfly. I think it is only a matter of time before it gets to our area. And I would expect to start seeing it before 2030 gets here.

What are we to do? Because the spotted lanternfly is a fairly large insect, generalist predators like birds, spiders, mantids, and assassin bugs will be the best defense. But that also means that you cannot use insecticides within the landscape if you want predators to prevail. Smashing them is also effective, when you can. For homeowners, using sticky tree bands on fruit and hardwood trees may be the best course, along with natural predators.

Conclusion
Invasive pests are always going to be coming down the road. We must prepare now by learning about potential threats as well as knowing our own landscapes and plants. Learn about it before you kill it is my motto. And I will do my best to keep you informed.
Happy planting!
