The invasive spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, was first detected in the USA in Berks County, PA, and has since spread throughout mid-Atlantic states. Since its establishment, there have been reports of this plant hopper feeding on over 70 host plants, and host plant narrowing over the developmental lifestages has been observed. Here, we evaluate the suitability of economically important host plants alongside wild hosts for L. delicatula development. Thirty newly hatched nymphs were introduced into cages in a quarantine greenhouse containing single diets of tree of heaven, apple, peach, grape, and black walnut, and mixed diets of these hosts supplemented with tree of heaven. Development to adulthood was monitored with survivorship. In semi-field assays, early instar, late instar, and adult cohorts were released onto individual tree of heaven, grape, peach, and apple and their retention tracked over 24 hours. Cohorts were also released onto these hosts in the presence of tree of heaven and retention tracked. These data provide greater context of the threat posed by L. delicatula to cultivated specialty crops.
