Spotted Lantern Fly

An invasive bug, found in every county of Connecticut, is a general nuisance but is not a major threat to state forests. The spotted lanternfly is a threat to agriculture, and can cause damage to vineyards and orchards by feeding on the sap.

The Lycorma delicatula, more commonly known as the Spotted Lanternfly, is an invasive species that is destroying our fruit plants and trees. The Spotted Lanternfly is distinguished by its scarlet color and black bars on the hind wings. The adults have brown speckled wings that blend into the bark of some trees. 

These visually striking insects feed on the sap of many different trees, their favorite ‘host’ whose bark is the same light brownish-gray color of the Spotted Lanternfly. The Spotted Lanternflies typically feed in large groups, gathering on the trunks of trees.

“Something I saw in the news yesterday was talk of cutting down the Tree of Heaven, which is also an invasive species, that they live and lay their eggs on,” NHS science teacher Jeanette Roderick said.

When the Spotted Lanternfly feeds, it leaves a sticky, sugary liquid called honeydew. When honeydew ferments, it smells vinegary and attracts other insects to turn it into the sooty mold that is destroying our wildlife. 

The egg masses resemble wet gray putty when first laid, they then turn dull and hard to look like cracked, dry clay. 

“Spiders are finally figuring out that they aren’t poisonous and eating them,” NHS science teacher Fawn Georgina said. 

Spiders, praying mantis’, assassin bugs, predatory stink bugs, birds, and the milkweed plant, are all natural enemies of the Spotted Lanternfly. 

“There’s a type of bee that’s been going after their larvae,” Rockerick said. 

Scientists have revealed that stepping on one or two Spotted Lanternflies is no longer enough. 

“If you really want to make a difference, you have to go where they are congregating,” Brittany Champey said to CBS News. 

This invasive pest was originally from Asia and was likely brought over with a shipment to Pennsylvania. This insect has not always been known as an invasive species. Spotted Lanternflies used to be just another insect, but since “hitch hiking” to Pennsylvania, the species numbers have multiplied by thousands.