The spotted lanternfly is an invasive from Asia, with gray, black-spotted forewings that open to show bright red hindwings. First found in the US in 2014, it has spread to many eastern and midwestern states, where it sucks plant sap, especially from tree-of-heaven and grapevines, and is a serious pest for vineyards. If you see one in a quarantine area, officials ask you to destroy it.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Adults are about 1 in (2.5 cm) long. The forewings are light gray with black spots; when the wings open, the hindwings show a bright red patch with black and white bands. The head and legs are black, and the abdomen is yellow with black bands.
- Seasonal forms
- Young are black with white spots and look a bit like ticks. The last nymph stage, over 1/2 in (1.3 cm) long, turns red with black and white markings. Nymphs can't fly but jump several feet.
Look-alikes
Last-stage lanternfly nymphs are red with black stripes and bright white spots. Boxelder bug nymphs are red and black too, but they have no white spots and are much smaller when young. Adult boxelder bugs are black with red or orange markings, about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) long, and harmless.
Why they get mixed upBoth are red-and-black insects that gather in groups on tree trunks and buildings in summer and fall.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Woodland edges with tree-of-heaven
- Vineyards
- Yards and parks
- Range
- Native to China; it has also been reported from Taiwan and Vietnam. In the US it was first confirmed in Pennsylvania in September 2014, reached Virginia by 2018, and is now established across much of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest, with state quarantines in many areas. It also reached Ontario, Canada, in 2024.
- Preferred conditions
- Most common wherever tree-of-heaven grows, but it can feed on more than 170 kinds of plants.
- When to see it
In Virginia
Active May–Nov
Behavior
- Diet
- Sucks sap from trunks, branches, and stems. Tree-of-heaven and grapevines are favorites, but it also feeds on maples, walnuts, birches, fruit trees, and many other plants.
- Overwintering
- Overwinters as eggs, which is how it often hitchhikes to new areas when outdoor items are moved.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- Eggs hatch in late April to early May. Adults appear in July, are most numerous in August, and lay eggs from September through November. Most adults die by December.
- Nest
- Eggs are laid in masses of 30–50, about 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) long, covered with a gray waxy coating that looks like a smear of mud. They're often on tree trunks, the undersides of branches, and outdoor items like grills, lawn furniture, and vehicles.
Cautions
- Cautions
- It doesn't bite or sting people.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Despite the name, it isn't a fly or a moth; it's a planthopper, a relative of cicadas and leafhoppers.
Conservation
- Conservation
- Regulated as an invasive pest. Many states have quarantines that limit moving outdoor items, firewood, and plants out of infested counties. Outside known areas, sightings should be reported to your state department of agriculture or local Extension office.
- Threats
- Heavy feeding weakens plants, and its sugary waste () grows black sooty mold and draws wasps and ants. Penn State estimated in 2019 that it could cost Pennsylvania hundreds of millions of dollars a year in farm and forest losses.
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