Recently, Delaware Nature Society hosted an informational session with Dept. of Ag. Environmental Scientist Stephen Hauss at Ashland Nature Center. This came after the insect was documented at Ashland Nature Center by our Hawk Watch Coordinator. There have been other confirmed sightings of the insect in Northern Delaware as well. Delaware is the second state to report the Spotted Lanternfly, which was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014.
What is the Spotted Lanternfly?
The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive and destructive insect native to China, India, and Vietnam and is known to attack many hosts including grapes, apples, stone fruits, walnut, willow and tree of heaven. It is also known as the hitch-hiker bug as it has traveled far and wide “hitch-hiking” on vehicles and other outdoor items.
Why is this a bad bug?
Delaware’s #1 industry is agriculture. The Spotted Lanternfly is a potential threat to a wide variety of crops including grapes, peaches, apples, and timber.
What to look for
The adult Spotted Lanternfly is 1 inch long and a ½ inch wide when resting and has a wing span of about 2 inches. The forewings are grey with black spots, and the hind wings are red with black spots. The head and legs are black, and the abdomen is yellow with broad black bands. The immature stages of the Spotted Lanternfly are small, round, and black with white spots, and develop red patches as they grow.
The Spotted Lanternfly egg mass can be difficult to spot due to its color and being small. A fresh mass will have a grey putty-like covering on top of them, blending in to the bark of the tree it’s on. An older mass that has hatched will be brown and look dried and cracked.
It is believed that the Spotted Lanternfly needs to feed on Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) to reproduce but will feed on other hosts as well.
What to do
If you see a Spotted Lanternfly in any of its stages, it is important to report the sighting. The Delaware Department of Agriculture asks that anyone who sees a Spotted Lanternfly to follow the below steps:
- Take a picture: With the GPS function turned on your smartphone or a camera with GPS, take a photograph of any life stage (including egg masses). Upload your photograph to Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag #HitchHikerBug. If you don’t have GPS capabilities and/or access to social media, submit the photograph via email to HitchHikerBug@state.de.us and include your name, contact information, and the address or georeference of where the photo was taken.
- Collect a specimen: Suspected specimens of any life stage can be collected and placed in a vial or plastic zip-lock bag with the name and contact information of the collector and turned into the Delaware Department of Agriculture CAPS program for verification. This insect is considered a threat to some crops and early detection is vital for the protection of Delaware businesses and agriculture.
- Report a site: If you can’t take a specimen or photograph, send an email to HitchHikerBug@state.de.us, submit using this form or call (302) 698-4586 with a message detailing the location of the sighting and your contact information.
For more information, See the Department of Agriculture’s Spotted Lanternfly checklist.
Other things to know
The coloring of the Spotted Lanternfly indicates that it could be toxic to dogs and there have been reports of dogs becoming ill after eating them. Pet owners should be careful to keep animals from eating the insect in any stage of its life.