Spotted Lanternfly

Lycorma delicatula is a planthopper native to China, India, and Vietnam. It was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania in September 2014 — likely arriving as egg masses on imported stone shipments — and spread across most of the eastern US within a decade. It is now established in 16+ states. The species feeds by piercing plant phloem and consuming sap; while it can attack over 70 plant species, its preferred host is the also-invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Mass feeding kills grapevines and stresses fruit trees, hops, hardwoods, and ornamentals; estimated agricultural damage in Pennsylvania alone exceeded $300 million annually by 2022. Adults excrete enormous quantities of sticky 'honeydew' that promotes black sooty mold growth on whatever surfaces are below — outdoor furniture, sidewalks, vehicles. State agricultural agencies have run unprecedented public-engagement campaigns urging residents to identify, report, and physically destroy lanternflies and their distinctive seed-pod-like egg masses. The campaign is one of the most successful public-pest-action programs in US history. Adult lanternflies are spectacularly photogenic — gray forewings with black spots, hidden hindwings flashing crimson and black-and-white when in flight.