Dangerously Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed In NJ

WARREN COUNTY, NJ — The first sighting of the dangerously invasive spotted lanternfly in New Jersey has been confirmed in portions of Warren County, New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced.

The pest was seen in New Jersey on a Tree Heaven, which were treated to help prevent the spreading of the pest. The NJDA will continue surveillance in that immediate area as well as along the Delaware River border.

The fly was first spotted in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has spread to 13 counties there where the pest prefers Tree of Heaven as its host.

The spotted lanternfly — which is native to China, India, Vietnam and East Asia — is currently in its nymph stage and is likely to be either black or red with white spots, according to the NJDA.

Nymph and adult spotted lanternflies cause extensive damage when they feed, sucking sap from stems and leaves and causing the plant to ooze and weep.

Not only does the plant die but the "fermented odor" caused by the feeding, along with the fluid excreted by the insects themselves, promotes mold growth and draws even more insects, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Department field crews have been conducting surveys for this insect along the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border since 2014, from Warren to Burlington Counties with no previous findings.

The fly is able to hitchhike on vehicles that travel across state borders and as a result the NJDA and United States Department of Agriculture are asking travelers to and from Pennsylvania to inspect their vehicles for the insect before returning to New Jersey.

In its currents stage the fly is about a half-inch to three-quarter of an inch long and likes to make use of more than 70 different plant species.

The Department is asking for everyone’s help in identifying areas where low numbers of this insect may be. Residents can email pictures of suspect insects to SLF-plantindustry@ag.nj.gov or call the New Jersey Spotted Lanternfly Hotline at 1-833-223-2840 (BAD-BUG-0) and leave a message detailing your sighting and contact information.

For more information about this insect click here.

• See Related: Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Expands Into Bucks County

(Image via NJDA: Spotted Lanternfly)

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