YOUR CAMPUS IS AN SLF HOTSPOT
Turn It Into a Lab
School grounds are among the most heavily infested sites in PA, NJ, and MD. Tree of Heaven lines your campus edges. Students carry egg masses home on backpacks. Here's how to take back control — and build real science skills while you're at it.
80%
of school campuses in infested PA counties have confirmed SLF
1,000+
insects per tree on heavily colonized Tree of Heaven at peak season
Section 1
Why Schools Are Hotspots
It's not a coincidence. Four structural factors make school campuses ideal SLF habitat — and ideal spread vectors.
Tree of Heaven as Shade Tree
Older campuses throughout the mid-Atlantic planted Tree of Heaven widely in the 1950s–1980s as a fast-growing shade tree. It is now SLF's primary host plant. Campuses with mature ToH can support thousands of insects per acre at peak season.
Wooded Edges as Corridors
Athletic fields and parking lots bordered by tree lines create perfect SLF corridors. Insects migrate daily from wooded edges into open areas, concentrating on structures, equipment, and vehicles. Edge-adjacent fields are especially dense.
Athletic Fields Surrounded by Hosts
Wild grape, hops, and black walnut — all preferred SLF hosts — frequently grow along fence lines surrounding athletic facilities. These provide a persistent reservoir even after ToH removal, sustaining populations year after year.
Students as Accidental Vectors
Backpacks, athletic gear, and equipment stored outdoors are prime egg mass deposition surfaces. Students unknowingly transport egg masses between campuses, homes, and away-game venues — making schools a critical link in regional spread.
Section 2
Facilities Action Plan
For grounds managers and facilities directors. Organized by urgency — start this week and build toward a long-term program.
- Identify and flag every Tree of Heaven on campus
- Install circle traps on high-priority trees
- Brief grounds crew on SLF identification and egg mass scraping
- Check athletic storage areas and equipment for hitchhiking egg masses
- Develop a systemic treatment plan with a licensed pesticide applicator
- Organize a school-wide egg mass scraping event (fall)
- Document all ToH locations in a campus tree inventory
- Coordinate with neighboring properties on joint management
- Remove Tree of Heaven and plant approved native replacements
- Establish an ongoing campus SLF monitoring log
- Incorporate SLF monitoring into grounds maintenance schedule
- Partner with local university extension for ongoing support
Section 3
Student Science Projects
Four field-tested project ideas that turn your infestation into publishable-quality citizen science data. Each is adaptable for the grade band listed.
Population Monitoring
Install circle traps on two to three Tree of Heaven specimens and conduct weekly counts throughout the season. Students record data, graph trends, and compare populations across trees. Ties directly to NGSS data analysis practices.
Tools Needed
Circle traps, tally sheets, graph paper or spreadsheet
Standards Alignment
NGSS Science Practice 4 (Analyzing Data)
Egg Mass Mapping
Each fall, teams systematically survey campus trees, fences, and structures for egg masses. Students photograph and GPS-tag each find, then submit observations to iNaturalist under a school project. Results are compared year over year.
Tools Needed
Smartphones or tablets, iNaturalist app, campus map
Standards Alignment
NGSS Science Practice 3 (Planning Investigations)
Tree of Heaven vs. Native Plant Study
Students compare SLF presence on Tree of Heaven versus native host plants on campus (wild grape, hops, black walnut). Quantify insect counts per tree species over the season and draw conclusions about host preference and management implications.
Tools Needed
Field notebooks, count sheets, camera
Standards Alignment
NGSS LS2.A, LS2.C (Ecosystems)
Squish and Count Campaign
A school-wide competition where each class logs the number of SLF adults and nymphs eliminated per week. A live leaderboard is posted in the cafeteria. Winner gets a class pizza party. Builds awareness and control action simultaneously.
Tools Needed
Paper log sheets or lanternflywatch.com/my-kills
Standards Alignment
Adaptable to any grade level — math, science, civic participation
Section 4
Classroom Resources
Everything teachers need is already built. No subscription, no setup.
Educator Resource Hub
Full lesson plan outlines, classroom-ready tools (interactive ID, GDD forecaster, sighting map), and printable materials for K–12.
Printable SLF Flyer
Print-ready alert flyer in dark or light versions. Post in classrooms, hallways, and cafeterias. Includes life stage guide and what to do.
iNaturalist School Project
Create a free class project on iNaturalist. Students photograph and submit SLF sightings — data flows directly to researchers. Setup takes 10 minutes.
Section 5
Getting Admin Buy-In
Talking points for teachers and facilities staff who need to build the case for action. Use these in budget meetings, board presentations, or principal conversations.
Liability
- SLF honeydew drips onto walkways and becomes a slip hazard — potential liability for student falls
- Dense infestations attract stinging insects (wasps, yellow jackets) that feed on honeydew
- Proactive management documents due diligence against negligence claims
Facility Damage
- Sooty mold grows on honeydew deposits on building facades, vehicles, and outdoor equipment
- Mold remediation costs exceed prevention costs by 5–10x
- Tree mortality from repeat heavy infestation can trigger expensive emergency removals
Curriculum Opportunity
- SLF monitoring aligns with NGSS Science Practices 3, 4, and 6 at no curriculum cost
- Citizen science participation counts toward state environmental literacy requirements in PA, NJ, MD
- Real-world data collection gives students publishable-quality research experience
Pro tip for teachers: Frame the ask as a zero-cost curriculum enhancement. The monitoring activity runs on school grounds during class time, meets NGSS standards, and generates data used by real state and federal researchers — that's a strong argument in any budget conversation.
Section 6
Request a School Speaker
Want an expert to come to your school for an assembly, science class, or staff training? Two paths:
Contact Lanternfly Watch
Email us with your school name, approximate enrollment, grade levels, and preferred timing. We'll connect you with the best available resource — speaker, virtual session, or custom materials.
Local University Extension
Penn State Extension, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and University of Maryland Extension all offer school outreach programs for SLF. Contact your county's extension office directly — many offer free school visits.
Section 7
Stay in the Loop
Get weekly SLF updates, new resources, and season alerts delivered to your inbox. Free forever.