By Caitlyn Scott & Madison Stokes | Staff Writers

With temperatures rising and the sun making its due appearance in Pittsburgh, many parts of the region will, unfortunately, be “welcoming” back an unwanted visitor for the summer season.

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) has become an annual visitor to Allegheny County since 2020, traveling from its native areas of China, India and Vietnam to feed upon Pittsburgh’s delectable plants, trees and crops.

With the rapid spread of these insects, cracking down on containing lanternflies is a team effort.

Shannon Powers, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), said that the PDA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Pennsylvania’s wine and transportation industry, and other states to prevent lanternflies from spreading across the country.

“It is important to remember that especially in new counties that are just beginning to see lanternflies, a large percentage of the reports, especially this time of year, are false,” Powers said. “[People] are seeing a black and red insect and they are reporting it as a lanternfly.”

According to New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM), lanternflies look similar and are related to insects such as “cicadas, brown marmorated stink bugs, aphids, and leafhoppers” so, don’t be fooled.

The spotted lanternfly is roughly 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide, distinguishable by its gray forewings and red hindwings, which are decorated with black spots.

The return of these invasive insects has caused residents to increasingly be dissatisfied with the idea of remaining at local parks and businesses where lanternflies are highly populated, along with creating dire impacts on Pittsburgh’s environment.

Maggie Herrick, restoration gardener for Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, said that spotted lanternflies can be found almost anywhere, attaching to objects other than just trees and plants.

“Large groups of these insects on tree trunks and physical infrastructure like benches and buildings may repulse some people,” Herrick said. “I’ve seen people leave parks and businesses because of them. Spotted lanternflies cause an unsightly disturbance, and damage plant life, causing a secondary problem called sooty mold to spread.”

According to the PDA’s official website, these invasive “planthoppers” feed on sap mainly from “grapevines, maples, black walnut, birch and willow” plants and trees, inflicting stress and causing the plant’s health to decline.

Along with this, lanternflies also excrete honeydew, which is a sugary waste that attracts bees, wasps and other insects that can lead to the growth of “sooty mold and black-colored fungi” on the surface of plants and trees.

“This honeydew will land on anything underneath, sticking to surfaces, attracting other insects to feed on it like ants and wasps, sometimes causing a fermented smell and ultimately leading to the fungi disease sooty mold,” Herrick said. “It will cover plants that are under an infested tree, inhibiting them from photosynthesizing and eventually killing them.”

With spotted lanternflies expected to appear in higher numbers this summer, organizations like the Pittsburgh Park Conservancy have become concerned over the protection of local parks in the area, like those within the Northside.

“They [lanternflies] will have an impact on the health of our park forests and plant life,” Herrick said. “Our forest canopy and biodiversity is already in decline and this will add to the challenges present to maintain and restore it.”

Along with Herrick, Educator for Penn-State Extension’s Green Industry, Sandra Feather, says that spotted lanternflies impact local parks and additional outdoor spaces by feeding upon a wide variety of plants but are mainly just an unpleasant sight.

“Spotted lanternflies feed on a wide variety of plants, including birch, willow, walnut, black walnut, sumac, and tree-of-heaven,” Feathers said. “Thus far in park situations, however, spotted lanternflies are mainly a nuisance pest.”

Herrick also said that being diligent and keeping an eye on personal property and additional outdoor spaces is crucial in maintaining both public and private environments in the Northside, and in the region.

“We are hearing more from the community that they are seeing it [damage] more often and closer to home,” Herrick said. “We advise them to keep a close eye on their own home landscape and to share park spaces that we all enjoy. Stay diligent in scouting this insect and make sure you are not moving any insects with you when you travel between spaces.”

Despite causing havoc upon community parks and personal outdoor experience, spotted lanternflies have also threatened two other vital environmental landscapes: vineyards and farms.

“The danger is a very real threat, particularly, to the wine and grape industry,” Powers said. “We are working very hard to keep lanternflies from spreading to the wine industry and to keep them from spreading across the country.”

A spotted lanternfly nymph crawls on a leaf. Photo by Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Along with Powers, Feathers says that research has shown that these insects are attracted to specific types of vineyards and plants, leading to massive damage to certain types of grapes.

“Researchers have learned that spotted lanternflies have a preference for different types of grapes,” Feather said. “Vinifera varieties are those used to make wine and they are highly preferred by these insects. Concord and muscadine grapes are less preferred.”

Since the spotted lanternfly was first identified in Alleghany County and was discovered in Berks County in 2014, multiple reports have been accounted for, with the PDA and the USDA receiving “more than 1,500 reports” of lanternfly sightings a week during the summer months.

Despite spotted lanternflies impacting the environment and causing displeasure during the summer, they have also been anticipated to harm Pennsylvania’s economic climate as well.

The Penn State Extension, affiliated with the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, estimated that the spotted lanternfly is worth “nearly $18 billion to the state’s economy,” costing $324 million each year for precautionary tactics and damage control.

Currently, spotted lanternflies are found within 51 counties across the state, all of which are under a state-imposed quarantine in an effort to stop further movement of these insects to new areas within, or outside of the current quarantine zones.

Any chance these insects get, they initially will catch a ride on any vehicle, backpack or other materials in an effort to multiply at a rapid rate. Through research and data collection, the PDA was quickly aware of this and created countywide quarantines to stop these hitchhiking insects in their tracks.

“The quarantines prohibit transporting any life stage of the insect, from the egg mass to the adult insect,” Powers said. “Any business that travels in and out of a quarantine county for business are required to get a permit which is a short course online that demonstrates that you know how to recognize lanternflies and how you can keep from transporting them when you travel.”

Large tourist attractions, trucking centers, industries traveling or transporting for business and places holding increased foot traffic, were the main starting points of these quarantines, along with counties that had any confirmed infestations.

Although these insects can populate and attach to surfaces quickly, TreePittsburgh’s Director of Education, Joe Stavish, says that spotted lanternflies are harmless to humans.

“They do not sting or bite humans,” Stavish said. “They will not enter your home for the winter like stink bugs or ladybugs either.”

Even though there are many precautions in place and negative impacts about how these insects are plaguing our environment, there are ways in which you are able to help agricultural officials take action.

“Squish and report, that’s the best option,” Stavish said. “We do not recommend people using sticky glue bands on trees because they can trap songbirds, woodpeckers, and flying squirrels. Making a circle trap is a great option to trap these insects on larger trees.”

Along with Stavish, the PennState Extension reiterates that if you happen to spot a lanternfly or an egg mass, you should “destroy it,” scraping them off of trees and other surfaces and immediately submerging them with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol.

A spotted lanternfly egg mass is roughly 1.5 inches long brown/gray patches, containing rows of small eggs that are the size of a sharpened pencil point. Eggs can vary in color, often being yellow or brown, and can contain between 30-50 eggs.

To report a lanternfly sighting, visit https://services.agriculture.pa.gov/SLFReport/ or, call 1-888-4BAD-FLY (1-888422-3359).