Multiscale assessment of oviposition habitat associations and implications for management in the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an emerging invasive pest

1. Control of incipient invaders—established invasive species in the early stages of spreading—can be inhibited by incomplete knowledge of the species’ habitat use. By identifying consistent habitat associations for incipient invaders early, control efforts can be more effective. Yet, because habitat associations are the result of multiscale processes, approaches are needed for integrating data collected across scales to identify them. 2. We employed a hierarchical, multiscale approach to identify oviposition habitat associations in the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an incipient invasive species of high concern in the United States. We targeted four oviposition habitat spatial scales most likely to be used by lanternflies and the spatial scales of explanatory habitat variables most easily used by managers to locate egg masses to control. 3. Spotted lanternflies exhibited oviposition habitat associations at the landscape, site, and tree scales. Overall, lanternflies oviposited..., The dataset was collected using traditional field survey methods followed by buffer calculation in Google Earth Engine as well as a spatial interpolation. Raw data were cleaned and harmonized using R programming for statistics version 4.1.1. , The data file is a CSV and can be opened in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, or any other CSV viewer/editor. To follow the methods outlined in the manuscript, the data should then be processed using the R statistical computing software/language.