The spotted lanternfly's life cycle is often centered on its preferred host, Ailanthus altissima, but L. delicatula can associate with more than 173 plants.

[7] L. delicatula's egg masses are the primary vector of spread, with Ailanthus altissima populations seen as a risk factor for further infestation globally.

Ongoing pest control efforts have sought to limit population growth, due to the threat L. delicatula poses to global agricultural industries.

Parts of the United States are undergoing massive pest control efforts to cull the spotted lanternfly's population.

[10] When resting, the crimson hind wings are partially visible through the semi-translucent forewings, giving the lanternfly a red cast.

[24] The spotted lanternfly will perform a number of "successive collisions" upon jumping, employing both passive and active righting as it falls.

[28] The lanternfly has also been recorded causing serious damage on at least 12 ornamental plants such as Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Phellodendron amurense, and Toona sinensis.

In the United States, high populations are seen infesting common forest trees, such as maple, birch, and walnut; in Pennsylvania alone, L. delicatula has been found on more than 20 newly recorded host species of woody plants.

[28] L. delicatula feeds on woody and nonwoody plants, piercing the phloem tissue of foliage and stems with specialized mouthparts, and sucking the sap;[29] it does not eat the fruit or the leaves per se.

[24] The sugary waste fluid they produce can coat leaves and stems, which encourages mold growth and can impede photosynthesis.

The accumulation of sap and honeydew also attracts many species of ants, bees, and wasps; infestations of L. delicatula may thus be hinted at by unusual amounts of molds or stinging insects around specific plants.

[35][36] Nymphs typically hatch from their egg cases starting in late April or early May, marking the beginning of the lanternfly's developmental stages.

[38] In their native Indomalayan habitat, they lay their eggs preferably on tree of heaven (A. altissima), which is a poisonous invasive species that was introduced to North America.

[29] L. delicatula eggs undergo diapause during embryonic development, requiring two weeks of warm temperatures following winter before hatching is induced.

[45][46] Phylogenomic analysis has shown that L. delicatula originally evolved in southwest China, eventually diverging into six phylogeographic lineages.

L. delicatula is capable of surviving and completing its life cycle in environments without its preferred host, A. altissima, albeit with greatly reduced fitness.

[24] The distribution of L. delicatula has since been predicted using a modeling approach, which showed that this pest has the potential to occur in the majority of South Korea.

[28] The tree is commonly found growing on the peripheries of Korean vineyards and L. delicatula has been documented as a pest to grapevines, leading to a decline in the total number and overall quality of the harvested grapes.

[14] Researchers have estimated that the spotted lanternfly may have been entering the country sporadically since the 1930s, but only established a reproducing population around the beginning of the twenty-first century.

The greatest risk of spread was seen in transportation of materials containing egg masses laid on smooth bark, stone, and other vertical surfaces.

[20] The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture banned the transport of items that could harbor the egg masses, including firewood, lawn mowers, outdoor chairs, trucks, and recreational vehicles from seven municipalities on 1 November 2014.

[68] A large potential range exists for the spotted lanternfly to become established in almost all of the eastern part of the country, as well as critical wine- and hop-growing valleys of the Pacific coastal states.

[74] Canadian Food Inspection Agency has identified a risk of the SLF entering the country and has previously intercepted adult lanternflies traveling to Ontario in shipping crates.

[75] Although most of Canada is an unsuitable habitat for L. delicatula, southwestern Ontario and southerly parts of other provinces are modeled to have low suitability for inhabitation.

Australia's southwest coastal regions are estimated to have a high viability for the spotted lanternfly but Australian Great Dividing Range and Tasmania were found to have the lowest suitability.

Both the pervasiveness of A. altissima and the lack of consistent freezing seasons are considered risk factors in L. delicatula establishing populations in the country.

These guidelines include killing L. delicatula eggs between the months of October and May by scraping them off surfaces, "double bag them and throw them in the garbage.

[81] The remaining male "trap trees" should be wrapped with sticky bands starting in early spring to catch any nymphs.

[81] In Pennsylvania and Korea, use of brown sticky traps has been effective at capturing nymphs, though adults may be strong enough to escape the adhesive.

This wasp is under investigation in South Korea[95] and in the United States, where it is being evaluated under quarantine until researchers are certain it will not become an invasive species and attack other insects.