FIGHT BACK10 Actions You Can Do RIGHT NOW
You found SLF. You're angry. Good. Here are 10 concrete things you can do today — ranked by impact. No expertise required. Start at #1 and work your way down.
ADULT SEASON: Focus on actions 1, 3, 5, 6. Adults are here now — every day you wait is more egg masses in the fall.
Start here
10 Actions.
Start Today.
Ranked by impact. Pick the ones that fit your situation. Every single one moves the needle.
Report Every Sighting
Your report triggers a state response. Every location matters. The map gets denser with every pin — and denser means more resources, more patrols, more neighbors who know what's here.
Scrape Every Egg Mass You Find
1 egg mass = 30–50 insects next year. Scrape into rubbing alcohol or bag and trash. A credit card works perfectly. One hour in your backyard this season could prevent thousands of adults next July.
Step on Every Adult You See
No tools needed. Stomp first, photograph second. Every adult female you kill is 30–50 fewer eggs this fall. Every adult is one less feeding on your grapevines, fruit trees, and garden.
Kill Tree of Heaven on Your Property
The #1 SLF host. No ToH = fewer SLF. This invasive tree is also a weed that spreads aggressively — killing it helps your yard on two fronts. Cut-and-treat is the most effective method.
Treat Your High-Value Trees
Grapevines, fruit trees, and ornamentals need protection before adults arrive in July. Systemic insecticides applied correctly stop feeding damage before it starts.
Install a Circle Trap
Install in May, empty weekly through October. Circle traps intercept nymphs climbing host trees — no chemicals, no daily effort. One trap on one ToH tree catches thousands over a season.
Organize a Block Scraping Event
Get your street to scrape together. 10 neighbors × 20 egg masses each = 200 prevented infestations. Community action is the only way to fight at the scale the invasion demands.
Submit a Photo to iNaturalist
Research Grade observations go directly to USDA researchers tracking the spread in real time. Your photo of a single adult in a new county can trigger a state survey response.
Tell Your Neighbors
Download and share the field guide. Most people don't know SLF is here — they walk past egg masses every day without knowing what they're looking at. You can change that with one conversation.
Sign Up for Fight Briefings
Weekly updates on season status, new methods, and community actions near you. One email per week during SLF season. Know when to strike. Know what's working. No fluff.
Why it adds up
Your Impact
Small actions compound fast. Here's what one person actually prevents.
next summer for every egg mass you scrape this season
for years — when you kill one Tree of Heaven on your property
on iNaturalist helps USDA track spread in real time
when your block runs one scraping event together (500–1,000 egg masses)
Go deeper
Quick Guides
The six most important guides for first-time fighters and veterans alike.
Why this fight matters
The Big Picture
Without coordinated action, USDA projects $554 million in annual agricultural losses across the US — vineyards, orchards, timber, and backyard gardens.
Your trees. Your wine. Your backyard.
The good news: fighting back works. Pennsylvania has documented declining SLF populations in heavily treated areas. Community scraping campaigns in Philadelphia removed over 500,000 egg masses in a single winter. This is winnable — but only if enough people act.
Most effective actions right now