Plant Industry - Spotted Lanternfly

Spotted Lanternfly

Report suspected Spotted Lanternfly

In Kernersville? No need to report. Here’s how you can help Stomp the Spread!

Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper that was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Since then, the pest has been detected in over 18 states. Reproducing infestations of this pest have been found throughout Pennsylvania as well as portions of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The first live population of spotted lanternfly was found in Forsyth County, North Carolina near the border with Guilford County in June 2022 and in Reidsville (Rockingham County) and Lenoir (Caldwell County) in spring 2025. These are currently the only known populations of this pest in the state. 

               (Image courtesy of New York Integrated Pest Management, Cornell University)

Spotted lanternfly is a piercing-sucking insect that produces large amounts of honeydew while feeding. This buildup of honeydew attracts stinging insects like wasps and ants and can cause black sooty mold to grow on infested plants as well as homes and businesses, reducing property values. They are a known pest of over 70 species of plants including grapes, stone fruits, apples, maple, walnut, willow, and tree-of-heaven. SLF overwinters in the egg stage, hatching into nymphs during Spring. There are four nymphal (instar) stages prior to becoming adults in Summer.  The 4th nymphal stage (late instar) and adults show a strong preference for tree-of-heaven as their host.
 

Egg Mass	Early Instars	Late Instar	Adult
September to May	Late March to June	Late May to July	July to December
Each egg mass is ~1-inch in size and contains roughly 35 eggs	The 1st instar is small (roughly the size of a tick) and grows to ~1/4-in size (3rd instars)	Bright red and ~1/2-in in size	From head to wing tip ~1-in in size

If you think you have seen Spotted Lanternfly, please take a photo (and try to include a size reference such as a quarter or pen) and upload it with our reporting tool.    
When submitting a report please include the location of the sighting, the date, and your contact information. If the insect got away, please take a picture of the location where you saw it.

Kernersville residents do not need to report! The area is now unfortunately generally infested, and we are only able to treat commercially- and publicly owned properties with a high risk of spread currently. If you see SLF at your home, please help us Stomp the Spread by contacting your County Extension Office and/or licensed pest control professional to create an SLF management plan that works best for your home. 

There are a number of native insects that are commonly mistaken for spotted lanternfly. Please check out the look-alike documents below to see some of these common look-alikes:

• Spotted Lanternfly Adult Look-alikes
• Spotted Lanternfly Nymph Look-alikes
• NC Spotted Lanternfly Look-Alikes

Activities for the Kids   
Spotted Lanternfly Origami (Select 'fit to printable area' when printing)   
SLF Search & Find and Fun Facts Sheet

Useful Links    
Gardening - NC Cooperative Extension Spotted Lanternfly Resources Page

                           General - NC Cooperative Extension SLF Resources Page
                           Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection    
                           Delaware Department of Agriculture  

                           Georgia Department of Agriculture

                           Illinois Department of Agriculture

                           Indiana Department of Natural Resources   
                           Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist

                           Maryland Department of Agriculture   

                           Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources  

                           Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development   
                           New Jersey Department of Agriculture   
                           New York Department of Agriculture
                           New York State IPM Center   
                           Ohio Department of Agriculture   

                           Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture    
                           Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management  

                           Tennessee Department of Agriculture

                           South Carolina – Clemson Department of Plant Industry

                           Virginia Department of Agriculture   
                           West Virginia Department of Agriculture   

                      USDA-APHIS-PPQ: SLF main page
                           USDA-APHIS-PPQ: educational resources