Hudson Valley: Check Your Patio Furniture Before Packing It Away

Before you pack away your patio furniture for winter, you’ll want to make sure this sneaky pest isn’t coming along for the ride.

As October gets underway in the Hudson Valley, it’s about time to stack the outdoor chairs, cover the grill and put away the summer stuff. But before everything disappears into the shed. garage or your basement, a quick inspection could save you some aggravation next spring.

You’re looking for something that’s easy to mistake for an ordinary patch of dried mud. It can be attached to outdoor furniture, tucked underneath an item or sitting in another protected spot.

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That innocent-looking patch could actually be a spotted lanternfly egg mass.

These invasive insects begin laying eggs in September, and typically continue through November. Contrary to what most people believe, they don’t limit themselves to trees. Outdoor furniture, vehicles, firewood and other hard surfaces can all become places where future generations of lanternflies are hiding.

According to Greg Krawczyk, a research professor and tree fruit entomologist with Penn State Extension, fresh egg masses have a creamy, putty-like covering that changes color as it dries. Eventually, the covering can turn darker and crack, resembling dried mud. Each mass can contain up to about 50 eggs.

Michael M. Santiago, Getty Images

Before moving your outdoor items, take a good look underneath them and around spots you might normally overlook. If you find a suspicious patch, compare it with the identification photos on Penn State's spotted lanternfly website.

Once you’ve confirmed it’s an egg mass, experts recommend scraping it into a resealable bag containing rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. The solution kills the eggs, which is an important step. If you just brush them onto the ground, the eggs will likely survive.

Removing egg masses can reduce the number of lanternflies that hatch next spring. Checking items before transporting them also helps keep the insects from hitching a ride to another location.

So, before you wrestle those patio chairs into storage, spend another minute checking them over. The last thing you want to do is to give these invasive pests a comfortable resting place this winter.