NEW YORK — The New York Department of Agriculture is calling on the community to help curb the growing population of the spotted lanternfly. Spotted Lanternflybecause the plague of this insect considerably affects agriculture.
The destructive fly feeds on more than 70 species of plants, including plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy, such as grapevines, apple trees, and hops.
Therefore, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets asks that New Yorkers help exterminate them to combat their growth. The insect was first found in upstate New York on Staten Island in August 2020, the population has been observed in all boroughs of New York, Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Ithaca, and Binghamton. The department is working closely with its state and federal partners on measures to combat the population, control its spread to other areas of New York State, and protect the state’s agricultural crops.
In the United States, it was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP FIGHT THE SPREAD?
If you see a spotted lanternfly in New York City, kill it immediately by stepping on or crushing it. People living in New York City do not need to report spotted lanternfly sightings to the department or collect samples at this time.
If you live outside of New York City, you can help the Department by reporting SLF immediately after you are found. Follow these steps:
- Take a photo.
- Collect a sample and place it in a freezer or in a bottle with isopropyl alcohol or hand sanitizer.
- Contact SLF responders here.
- After you have reported SLF in your area and collected a sample, you should kill any additional SLF you see by stepping on or crushing it.
HOW DO I IDENTIFY THEM?
Adult SLFs are active from July to December. They are about an inch long and a half inch wide at rest, with conspicuous wings. Adults begin laying eggs in September, and egg masses can be found throughout the winter. Signs of an SLF infestation may include:
- Sap oozing or weeping from open wounds on tree trunks, which appear moist and give off fermented odours.
- Inch-long egg masses that are brownish-gray, waxy, and mud-like when new. Old egg masses are brown and scaly.
- Massive accumulation of honeydew under plants, sometimes with development of black sooty mold.
- For more information on the spotted lanternfly, visit Agriculture.ny.gov/SLF.
A campaign to end the plague was also launched in the state of New Jersey. For information and reporting in the Garden State go here.
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