The spotted lanternfly has been found in at least 10 states though experts suspect they are far more widespread: New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio. where the spotted lanternfly has been detected. 'By destroying egg masses in the winter, we keep the number of the following generation down.' Spotted Lanternfly spread 'The key right now, is to keep them from spreading and to keep their numbers down in areas where they currently occur,' said Josephine Antwi, an entomologist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. The bugs reach adulthood by summer, when they develop red patches on their wings. That's when state officials will know if the stomping camapign made a difference, Wolfe said. The adult lanterflies don't survive winter but the eggs do, hatching around May. September marks an important time in the lanternfly's life cycle. Females lay about 100 eggs each from late September through November. One lanternfly will give rise to five to six in the coming year under the current trend, the study shows. They will continually radiate out.'Ī study by a team led by Strombom at Lafayette College estimated that about 35% of all lanternflies would need to be killed this year in order for their population to go into decline next year. 'It's a persistent species that can feed on a variety of different plant species. 'It’s virtually impossible to wipe them out at this point,' said Matthew Aardema, a Montclair State University entomologist, who has encountered clusters on hikes deep into New Jersey forests.

That one-two punch can weaken the tree and eventually contribute to its death. But in their absence, they will suck the sap from as many as 70 plant species, especially fruit trees. More sap production from the tree, along with the bug's own excrement, draws other insects like wasps and ants to feed and promotes mold growth. Spotted lanternflies love to feed on the tree of heaven. New Jersey is both a perfect breeding ground and waypoint for the bug thanks to the state's role as an international trade hub where millions of shipping containers are unloaded each year and as a domestic transportation corridor for points north, south and west. A rugged invasive species like the spotted lanternfly is able to hitch a ride, establish a foothold in a new land and multiply exponentially. 'It’s not unusual for the insect to make its way into urban areas where there is a high amount of vehicle traffic and other transportation methods.' 'The spotted lanternfly is such a great hitchhiker on almost any type of transportation, this includes even buses and trains,' said Jeff Wolfe, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture. These are the people trying to stop themĬlimate change: The watery wrath of tropical storms is no longer a surprise for the Northeast More where that came from: Here are five of the most harmful invasive insects that have wreaked havoc in New JerseyĮnvironment: NJ is being overrun by foreign insect invaders. The reports prompted state officials to expand its quarantine now to 13 counties: Morris, Monmouth, Middlesex, Essex, Union, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, Somerset and Warren.īut quarantines are proving little match as other counties have seen an invasion. Swarms have even made their way to the urban confines of Hoboken and Jersey City in Hudson County. In August alone, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture received almost 10,000 emails and phone calls concerning the pest. After first being found in eastern Pennsylvania seven years ago, clusters of spotted lanternflies have been found in at least 87 counties in 10 Northeast and Midwest states, although experts suspect they are far more widespread.

Red lantern bugs