Plant Industry - Spotted Lanternfly

Spotted Lanternfly

Where was the Spotted Lanternfly Found?

Select the county where you observed the spotted lanternfly.

Guilford,
Forsyth, or
Davidson County

Spotted lanternfly is established in these counties. Visit the NC State Extension page for identification, management, and the latest information.

Click to Learn More

Any Other
North Carolina
County

Reports from counties outside the established infestation area help track the spread of spotted lanternfly in North Carolina.

Click to Report a Sighting

Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper that was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Since then, the pest has been detected in over 18 states. Reproducing infestations of this pest have been found throughout Pennsylvania as well as portions of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The first live population of spotted lanternfly was found in Forsyth County, North Carolina near the border with Guilford County in June 2022, in Reidsville (Rockingham County) and Lenoir (Caldwell County) in spring 2025. These are currently the only known populations of this pest in the state.

(Image courtesy of New York Integrated Pest Management, Cornell University)

Spotted lanternfly is a piercing-sucking insect that produces large 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 plants including grapes, stone fruits, apples, maple, walnut, willow, chinaberry and tree-of-heaven. SLF overwinters in the egg stage, hatching into nymphs during Spring. There are four nymphal (instar) stages prior to becoming adults in 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

September to May	Late March to June	Late May to July	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-inch size (3rd instars)	Bright red and ~1/2-inch in size	From head to wing tip ~1-inch 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 upload it with our reporting tool.
When submitting a report please include the location of the sighting, the date, and your contact information. If the insect got away, please take a picture of the location where you saw it.

Residents in western Guilford County and eastern Forsyth County do not need to report! The area is now unfortunately generally infested, and we are only able to treat commercially- and publicly- owned properties with a high risk of spread currently. If you see SLF at your home, please help us Stomp the Spread by contacting your County Extension Office and/or licensed pest control professional to create an SLF management plan that works best for your home.

There are a number of native insects that are commonly mistaken for spotted lanternfly. Please check out the look-alike documents below 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

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