Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

74°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

74°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

'Troublesome' spotted lanternflies can result in harmful crop loss for farmers

By Jennifer Fabiano, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Jun 1, 2018 6:24 PM EDT | Updated Jul 1, 2019 5:10 PM EDT

Copied

The spotted lanternfly jumps more than it flies, making this insect a plant hopper with serious invasive qualities. Lanternflies don’t bite or sting, so they pose no immediate threat to people.

The insect's main threat is to over more than 70 types of plants on which it feeds, including important crops like grapes, apples, hops and walnuts, according to Abbey Powell, a public affairs specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture.

The lanternfly is a "really troublesome invasive insect because it has a really broad host range," Emelie Swackhamer, a horticulture extension educator with Penn State Extension, said. "We’re very concerned about certain commodities that we know it has damaged in other parts of the world.”

Spotted lanternfly

Instar and adult lanternflies gather on an Alianthus altissima tree in August in Pennsylvania. (Photo/Emelie Swackhamer)

Emelie Swackhamer

The first detection of the lanternfly in the U.S. was in 2014 in Pennsylvania, according to Swackhamer. Lanternflies were first detected in South Korea in 2004, where they caused damage to the grape crop and other fruits, resulting in economic losses. Lanternflies remain a problem there today, according to Julie Urban, a senior research associate in entomology at Penn State University.

The lanternflies are of biggest concern in southeastern Pennsylvania but have recently been detected in small quantities in New York, Delaware and Virginia.

Lanternfly2

A spotted lanternfly targets a statice plant. (Photo/Emelie Swackhamer)

Since the laternfly is not a life-threatening insect, economic loss is at the top of the list for concerns caused by the invasive pest.

Lanternflies go through four different developmental stages, but they are the biggest threat when they become adults in July through November, because that’s when they’re most able to spread. The first hatch happened about two weeks ago.

The insects harm plants by feeding on them. Their mouths are fused into straw-like beaks, which allow them to suck out large amounts of sap from plants, causing them stress and severe damage. The insects then secrete a substance called honeydew, which then promotes the growth of sooty mold, which is a black mildew fungal mold. The mold blocks sunlight and interrupts plants photosynthetic processes.

As lanternflies are a relatively new phenomenon, researchers have been unable to measure the long-term health of trees, which isn’t to say that they aren’t concerned, according to Swackhamer.

Farmers and food growers are encouraged to watch their crops and other plants for the spotted lanternfly.

“Right now, through July, look for young, crawling spotted lanternflies that are black with white spots,” Powell said. From July to December, the insects are 1 inch in length and have red and yellow markings.

Swackhamer recommends that any Pennsylvania resident who suspects spotted lanternflies are affecting their crops call the county Penn State Extension office and talk to the master gardener, a professional who has volunteered in order to answer lanternfly questions.

Lanternflies3

Adult lanternflies gather on a sumac plant in October. (Photo/Emelie Swackhamer)

Crop growers are not the only ones that have to worry about the spotted lanternfly, according to Heather Leach, an extension associate for the department of entomology with Penn State Extension.

Due to the nature in which they lay eggs, lanternflies are a problem for professionals far beyond the food industry. The timber and landscaping industries are also affected by the spotted lanternfly.

“They’ll lay their eggs on essentially anything," Urban said. "This includes human-made products like rail cars and trailers, so that provides [a] huge opportunity to spread via human-mediated transport."

RELATED:

19 Crops That Would Disappear Without Bees
Keep bugs away this summer with these 5 DIY hacks
10 myths about ticks debunked
10 myths about mosquitoes debunked by experts

As a result, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) has put quarantines in place in order to require that people don’t spread the lanternfly into an area where it doesn't already exist. Quarantined areas can be found on the PDA website.

Permits are required for any businesses that are moving goods in and out of quarantine zone as well as in and out of Pennsylvania.

While financial losses are the primary concern caused by the lanternflies, quality of life is a problem as well, according to Urban. The sooty mold that is produced by lanternflies creates a mess that is hard to clean if spread across outdoor patios and furniture. The honeydew produced also attracts bees and wasps, which is not ideal for a backyard setting.

Swackhamer suggests three categories of control methods in order to target lanternflies in a specified environment.

Spotted Lanternfly infogram
Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Texas Hill Country recovery, cleanup teams to face brutal July weather

11 hours ago

Weather News

State inspection before floods found Camp Mystic had emergency plan

16 hours ago

Weather News

Deadly flash flooding devastates wildfire-scarred New Mexico town

4 hours ago

Astronomy

1st full moon of summer to rise Thursday night

1 day ago

Weather News

Most Texas flood victims face devastation without flood insurance

14 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

10 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

10 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

15 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

10 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather News 'Troublesome' spotted lanternflies can result in harmful crop loss for farmers
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...