SQUISHAdult Season

What You're Looking For

Adult SLF are striking — gray/tan spotted forewings hiding vivid red hindwings with black spots. About 1 inch long. When resting, they look like a mottled gray moth. When they open their wings to jump or fly, you see that unmistakable red flash.

• ▸Gray/tan forewings with black spots and brick-red tips
• ▸Hindwings: vivid red with black spots, white band at edge
• ▸Body: yellow and black banding underneath
• ▸About 1 inch long, 2 inch wingspan
• ▸Rest in groups on trunks of Tree of Heaven — often dozens to hundreds per tree
• ▸Jump before flying — they're strong jumpers, poor fliers

What To Do Right Now

1. 1

   Squish on sight

   The most direct action. A shoe, a newspaper, anything flat. They jump when disturbed — approach slowly, then strike. On hard surfaces, they squish easily. Millions of TikTok views confirm this is satisfying. It's also genuinely effective.

2. 2

   Apply dinotefuran bark spray

   This is the most effective chemical control for adults on trees. Dinotefuran (sold as Safari or Zylam) is a systemic insecticide — spray it on the lower 6 inches of tree bark, and the tree absorbs it into the phloem. SLF feeding on that tree are killed within hours. Apply June–August for best uptake.

3. 3

   Keep circle traps up

   Adults still walk up trunks. Circle traps installed for nymphs continue working. Adults are larger and easier to spot in the collection bag — empty regularly (every 2–3 days during peak season, September).

4. 4

   Use a vacuum for aggregations

   For large aggregations on a single tree, a shop vacuum with soapy water in the collection container is remarkably effective. This sounds strange. It works. You can capture 50–100+ in a single session on a heavily infested tree.

5. 5

   Find and attend a community scraping event

   Adult aggregations on public trees and TOH stands can be addressed collectively. Check our events map for community squishing and scraping events near you.