Spotted lanternfly has spread across all of Ohio

By Allison Kinney, Ohio Ag Net

If you’ve noticed strange black-and-white insects hopping around your yard this summer, you’re not alone. The spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest that has steadily spread across Ohio in recent years, is now established statewide.

“The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect. It is native to Asia, worked its way to the United States, and then worked its way into Ohio,” said Brian Baldridge, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. “About 2021 is when we first started seeing it.”

As populations increased, Ohio expanded quarantine areas from 14 counties to 32 counties. Today, the entire state falls under a spotted lanternfly quarantine. One reason the insect has spread so successfully is its ability to travel unnoticed. Baldridge describes the spotted lanternfly as a “hitchhiker” that frequently catches rides on vehicles, railcars, and other equipment.

“If you look at when it got to the United States, and kind of worked its way through Pennsylvania into Ohio, it was along the rail spurs,” Baldridge said. “They were probably on rail cars, and we saw it starting to branch out from that area.”

While spotted lanternflies feed on numerous plants, some crops are more vulnerable than others. Ohio’s grape and wine industries have been among the primary concerns for state officials monitoring the insect’s spread.

“Our wine industry, our vineyards, they’re the ones that they really go after,” Baldridge said. “They go after those grapevines, and we’ve been working with the industry to try to bring awareness and make sure that grape growers are watching their vineyards.”

The insects are also attracted to several ornamental and landscape plants. One of their preferred hosts is the tree-of-heaven, an invasive tree species found throughout parts of Ohio.

“They like their favorites,” Baldridge said. “One of the invasive species, the tree-of-heaven, they really like that as well.

“The message we want to get out to property owners is to take a look at their yard and realize what is there. If you can remove plants like the tree-of-heaven, it’s going to be one less host out there for it.”

For Ohioans wondering whether spotted lanternflies have arrived in their area, the insects become easier to identify as the season progresses. During the spring and early summer, they appear as small black insects covered with white spots.

“Right now they’re kind of in that dime-size or under-size stage,” Baldridge said. “They’re kind of black with white spots on them. They hatch in April, so this is what we call the nymph stage.”

By late summer, however, they become much more noticeable.

“As we get into that August time of year, they’re very identifiable,” Baldridge said. “They turn colors, get into a red, brighter color, and they have a wingspan.”

Although there is currently no nationwide eradication effort for spotted lanternflies, state and federal agencies continue to focus on education and management. For homeowners and landowners, Baldridge said simple actions can help reduce populations.

“We still say, if you see them, squish them and take care of business,” he said. “There are also other things you can do as far as deterrence. A spray bottle of soapy water can help in that effort.”

Baldridge said Ohio residents have played an important role in helping officials track the pest’s spread over the last several years. Now that spotted lanternflies are established statewide, he said, awareness remains the most important tool.

“Just educate yourself, understand where it likes to live in your yards or on your farm, and then what you can do to kind of deter this pest from being around,” Baldridge said.

For more information about spotted lanternfly identification and management, visit the Ohio Department of Agriculture at agri.ohio.gov.