Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section
Entomological Services

Spotted Lanternfly

Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper that was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. The pest is native to northern China and was introduced to Korea in 2004 where it has become a major pest. Since 2014, the pest has been detected in over 12 states, including four detections (all dead adults) in North Carolina. Reproducing infestations of this pest have been found throughout Pennsylvania as well as portions of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. Live populations of spotted lanternfly have not been found in North Carolina...yet.

PLEASE NOTE: Counties with a purple dot are considered one-off incidents and in most cases, like the ones in North Carolina, represent a single dead adult associated with material shipped from one of the blue infested areas. The areas in blue are where reproducing populations of spotted lanternfly are known to occur. (Image courtesy of New York Integrated Pest Management, Cornell University)

Spotted lanternfly is a piercing-sucking insect that produces copius amounts of honeydew while feeding. This buildup of honeydew attracts stinging insects like wasps and ants and can cause black sooty mold to grow on infested plants as well as homes and businesses, reducing property values. They are a known pest of over 70 species of plant including grapes, stone fruits, apples, maple, oak, walnut, willow, and tree-of-heaven. SLF overwinters in the egg stage, hatching into nymphs during late-Spring to early-Summer. There are four nymphal (instar) stages prior to becoming adults in late Summer. The 4th nymphal stage (late instar) and adults show a strong preference for tree-of-heaven as their host.

Egg Mass	Early Instars	Late Instar	Adult
October to June	April to June	Mid-June to September	July to December
Each egg mass is ~1-inch in size and contains roughly 35 eggs	The 1st instar is small (roughly the size of a tick) and grows to ~1/4-in size (3rd instars)	Bright red and ~1/2-in in size	From head to wing tip ~1-in in size

If you think you have seen Spotted Lanternfly, please take a photo (and try to include a size reference such as a quarter or pen) and send it to badbug@ncagr.gov
(When submitting a photo please include the location of the sighting, the date, and your contact information)

There are a number of native insects that are commonly mistaken for spotted lanternfly. Please check out the NC Spotted Lanternfly Look-Alikes document to see some of these common look-alikes.

Activities for the Kids
Spotted Lanternfly Origami (Select 'fit to printable area' when printing)
SLF Search & Find and Fun Facts Sheet

Useful Links
NC Cooperative Extension Spotted Lanternfly Resources Page
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Delaware Department of Agriculture
Maryland Department of Agriculture
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
New York Department of Agriculture
New York State IPM Center
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Virginia Department of Agriculture
West Virginia Department of Agriculture
USDA-APHIS-PPQ