Spotted Lanternfly 

      Ever hear about the spotted lanternfly? They are like normal flies, appearance-wise, but have a slight pinkish/reddish color and black spots all over them. One abnormal thing about these flies, is that they are very invasive and destructive. They are harmful crops, plants, and trees. They leave behind a sticky substance that exacerbates mold growth. This has become a problem since these flies can destroy important crops and plants, which are necessary and crucial in certain areas. To be specific, certain plants spotted being destroyed by spotted Lanternflies, are sapling trees, sumac, grapevines, and tree-of-heaven

Where are they?

The Spotted Lanternfly is native to China, as well as certain part of India, Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan. However, they have been spotted in the US, over the past few years. As of the beginning of 2022, Spotted Lanternflies have been seen in around 11 states in the US! These states are Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. In 2014, the spotted lanternfly was only spotted in Pennsylvania but as of 2022 that number has seemed to increase rapidly. 

What’s the Issue?

     These non-flying, hopping bugs, are invading the US. They are extremely invasive, and as they spread throughout the US, they keep putting vineyards at risk. This is because they are feasting on the grapevines. It is crucial for us to make sure that we kill these flies in order to prevent more destruction from spreading through the US. This is the reason we must kill these as soon as we see them; because they are extremely invasive. They lay egg masses of 30-50 eggs; this makes it really hard to get rid of them, and allows them to multiply extremely quickly.

If you see these bugs, make sure to kill them! We don’t want these spreading any more than they are already!