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Spotted lanternflies harm grapes, hops and other annual and perennial plants, in addition to secreting a sticky honeydew that builds up on vehicles and lawn furniture.<\/p><\/div>\n
Now students are tackling a more strategic mitigation method to target their host plant through a service-learning initiative that positions the campus as a classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to stomp our way through this invasion,\u201d said Dr. Todd Crail, a Distinguished University Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences who oversees Greening UToledo through Service Learning (GUTS). \u201cThe way to control this invasion is to manage the tree of heaven. Our students are going learn about the coevolution between these two invasive species while making a noticeable difference on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spotted lanternflies hopped from their native habitats in southeast Asia to the United States in 2014, bringing with them concerns about their negative effects on grapes, hops and other annual and perennial plants \u2014 not to mention their sticky secretions called honeydew that build up on vehicles, lawn furniture and anything else situated beneath the trees of heaven that tend to host dense populations of these pests.<\/p>\n
Spotted lanternflies coevolved with the tree of heaven, another invasive species that poses concerns for its potential to dominate local ecosystems. That\u2019s especially true in areas where the ground has been disturbed, like along railroads, bike trails and river corridors.<\/p>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tree-of-Heaven-STORY.jpg\")
Tree of heaven, an invasive species that coevolved with spotted lanternflies, tends to host dense populations of these pests.<\/p><\/div>\n
Crail and his colleagues are exploring both insect and plant species in this semester\u2019s Introduction to the Environment courses, including how native species like birds and pollinators are adapting to them and why they, but not all non-native species, come to carry the negative connotations of the term \u201cinvasive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, in line with the service-learning requirement of the courses, the students will head into campus to identify tree of heaven, cut it down and treat it with herbicide as a means of mitigating the spotted lanternfly population on campus.<\/p>\n
The service-learning initiative GUTS is facilitated by student workers who coordinate hands-on opportunities for their peers, who may or may not be currently enrolled in a course with a service-learning requirement.<\/p>\n
Past opportunities have traditionally been in nearly a dozen native-plant gardens located across Main Campus, as well as the seed storage and nursery facilities in and around Bowman-Oddy Laboratories. This is the first semester the initiative also will be tackling tree of heaven in coordination with campus groundskeepers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with Dr. Crail and the GUTS program for years and we\u2019ve seen them become a very valuable resource on campus,\u201d said Jeff Gajdostik, manager of the grounds maintenance crews.\u00a0\u201cI have nothing but praise for these students and their impact on the beautification of UToledo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crail anticipates the students\u2019 efforts this semester will pay off in a noticeable decrease in the spotted lanternfly population by next summer, but he warns that they\u2019re here to stay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not an eradication,\u201d Crail said. \u201cWe will always have spotted lanternflies in Ohio, but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t reduce their numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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