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European Paper Wasp

Scientific Name: Polistes dominula

Family: Vespidae

Native Range: Europe. Invasive in North America, Pennsylvania

Size: Male wing length: 9.5 – 13.0 mm (0.37 to 0.51 in); Females wing length: 8.5 – 12.0 mm (0.33 to 0.47 in)

Active: Over-wintering queens begin nest building in early spring and start laying eggs in early March or April. Nests disperse in late summer. Founder queens and males overwinter.

Color and Appearance: Black and yellow

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Asian Tiger Mosquito

Scientific Name: Aedes albopictus

Family: Culicidae

Native Range: Asia, Introduced North America, Pennsylvania

Size:  2 to 10 mm (0.08 – 0.39 in)

Active: Summer – fall, daytime as well as dawn and dusk

Color and Appearance: Notable black and white markings especially stripes on legs

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Spotted Lanternfly

Scientific Name: Lycorma delicatula

Family: Fulgoridae

Native Range: INVASIVE: China, India, Vietnam and eastern Asia

Size:

Active:

Color and Appearance: EWWW!

August 12, 2020: I found my first spotted lanternfly in Delaware County at the Wawa at the corner of Providence Rd. and Baltimore Pike in September, 2018. This spring we found their nymphs in our yard on the basswood and the adults began appearing in my yard in late July. So far, I have found adults on the basswood, the sweet birch, and the redbud. They also seem to like the screen of the sliding glass door. In a year of stress and pandemic, squishing them has become a local past-time and an important release for pent up frustration. It is especially popular among children who have otherwise been taught not to squish bugs.

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Japanese Beetle