Spotted lanternfly honeydew as a sugar source for mosquitoes

Spotted lanternflies and mosquitoes are among the most concerning invasive insects, which have introduced a myriad of public health, social, economic, and agricultural problems. In addition to their characteristic blood-feeding behavior, mosquitoes exhibit frequent sugar-feeding activity, targeting a diverse range of sugar sources. Spotted lanternflies are ravenous sap-feeders and, as a result, produce large aggregates of honeydew, a sugary excreta. Here, we used spotted lanternfly honeydew-specific DNA barcoding to determine that both invasive and native mosquito species feed on spotted lanternfly honeydew in the field. The implications and applications of these findings for invasive interspecies interactions and disease vector management are discussed.