Spotted Lanternfly on our Border
Reprinted from University of Kentucky Fruit Facts September/October 2021 newsletter
This summer, some distressing news was delivered regarding spotted lanternfly, a worrisome invasive species. Unfortunately, an infestation of this pest was found in Southeastern Indiana, specifically near the city of Vevay in Switzerland County. The location is about 2.4 miles away from Gallatin County, KY. The Office of the State Entomologist has implemented and checked spotted lanternfly traps on our side of the Ohio River and thus far have found no evidence of this pest in Kentucky. This is something that will be closely monitored for the foreseeable future though.
What is Spotted Lanternfly? Spotted lanternfly (aka SLF) is a serious invasive insect pest capable of building large populations. SLF is native to East Asia and was first found in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014. Since that initial discovery, it is has spread to many counties in Pennsylvania, as well as into Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and West Virginia. SLF is very distinctive in appearance; the adult is about an inch long with strikingly patterned forewings. The upper portion of these wings have black spots and the tips have a latticework of black rectangles. The back wings are contrasting red, black, and white. The immature stages are black with white spots and develop red patches as they age.
Figure 1: An adult spotted lanternfly has a very distinctive and colorful appearance. The fore wings are half spotted and half reticulated, while the back wings are a mixture of black, white, and red. (Photo: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org)
Figure 2: Spotted lanternflies start as eggs, which look like they are covered with brown-grey spackle, and then develop through spotted nymphal stages before maturing into the adult form. (Photos: Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org)