Spotted Lanternfly Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Invasive, Crop-Eating Pest Multiplying In W.Va.

The pest feeds on a wide range of crops and plants, highlighting grapes and hops – which experts say could potentially impact the production of Mountain State alcoholic beverages.

An invasive insect now found in eight eastern West Virginia counties could affect the state’s wine and beer industries, according to experts.

The state Department of Agriculture says Taylor County has been added to the list of counties finding Spotted Lanternfly in their midst. The other counties include Hancock, Brooke, Mineral, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive plant hopper that is native to China and arrived in North America hidden on goods imported from Asia. The pest’s main source of food is the non-native “Tree of Heaven,” but it feeds on a wide range of crops and plants, highlighting grapes and hops – which experts say could potentially impact the production of Mountain State alcoholic beverages.

“The WVDA is working closely with federal agencies to identify and treat areas where spotted Lanternfly is found,” West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said. “However, with no known native predators, Spotted Lanternfly will continue to spread across our state, impacting agriculture industries and private property. We hope a more robust federal effort to contain and slow the spread of these insects will be initiated soon.”

The Agriculture Department says it has had some success in treating infested areas with insecticide.

Spotted Lanternfly can travel short distances on their own, but their main mode of movement is hitchhiking. Those who travel to an area with Spotted Lanternfly populations are asked to carefully inspect their vehicles, trailers, boats, ATVs, and any other surfaces for hitchhikers before they head home.

For more information on Spotted Lanternfly, click here. To report a spotted lanternfly sighting, send a photo, your location, and contact information to bugbusters@wvda.us or call 304-558-2212.

Invasive Spotted Lanternflies Sighted In Eastern Panhandle

Sightings of spotted lanternflies have been reported in the Eastern Panhandle as the invasive species begin to mature this season. The Department of Agriculture reports sightings in four counties: Berkeley, Jefferson, Hampshire and Mineral.

Lanternflies were first sighted in the area two years ago and are believed to have bypassed a quarantine in Pennsylvania and introduced through cargo shipments along Interstate 81. The insects feed on popular crops, including a variety of tree fruit, and have the potential to cause harm to the country’s orchard and logging industries.

Emily Morrow, the WVU Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent in Jefferson County, says while the infestation is not as severe as it is in neighboring states, it is important to stop the spread.

A typical host of spotted lanternflies are trees of heaven, an invasive species native to China.

“We do advise folks to kill whatever they can, if they can,” Morrow said. “If you find egg masses in the fall and winter months, if you can scrape those off and apply rubbing alcohol, that will keep the eggs from hatching.”

The state’s Department of Agriculture recommends reporting any lanternfly sightings.

“Reporting still is very, very important throughout the state, because we can catch the population early on,” said James Watson, coordinator for the department’s spotted lanternfly program. “There’s a chance that we could eradicate that population if it’s small enough and confined to a small location, such as one or two properties.”

Watson says there is a chance the department will contact the owners of the properties the lanternflies have been spotted on to eradicate the bugs from the properties in the future.

Reports of lanternfly sightings can be made to the Department of Agriculture by calling 304-558-2212 or via email at bugbusters@wvda.us. More information is also available on the department’s website.

Spotted Lanternfly Found In Berkeley County

State officials have confirmed an invasive pest known to feed on a wide range of crops and trees has been found in West Virginia for the first time.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture said in a press release released Wednesday that the Spotted Lanternfly was discovered in the Bunker Hill area of Berkeley County in late October.

The black, white and red winged planthopper is native to China and other Asian countries and likely hitched a ride on overseas cargo to the U.S. The agency said the invasive insect prefers to feed on Tree-of-Heaven trees as well as apples, walnuts, grapes and hardwood trees.

Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt said the agency is most concerned about orchards and wineries in the Eastern Panhandle. The agency said it will begin treatments to contain the insect in the spring.

“We have been surveying for this invasive pest for the past two years. We knew it was only a matter of time until the Spotted Lanternfly made it to our state,” Leonhardt stated. “The next step is to ask for formal assistance from our federal and state partners to put together an action plan to combat this pest.”

The agency said landowners should be on the lookout for masses of eggs, especially on land with multiple Tree-of-Heaven, which is a palm-tree looking plant that some say smells like peanut butter.

W.Va. Sets Email for Reporting Invasive Species

West Virginia’s Department of Agriculture has established an email where the state’s residents can send pictures and descriptions of a suspected invasive pest, as well as their locations and any related damage to buildings or plants.

Department officials say landowners who email information to bugbusters@wvda.us will be notified if their tip raises concerns and someone from the agency will visit the site.

Agriculture authorities note two destructive insects, the Asian longhorned beetle and the spotted lanternfly, are on the watch list for invasive species in West Virginia.

The beetle was first found in Brooklyn in 1996 and has since been detected in several locations including Clermont County, Ohio.

The lanternfly was first discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, and detected in Delaware in November.

Both are native to Asia.

West Virginians Asked to Watch for Spotted Lanternfly

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is asking residents to watch for the appearance of the spotted lanternfly, a destructive insect whose presence was confirmed last week in New Castle County, Delaware.

It was first detected in the U.S. in 2014 in Pennsylvania, where it has since been found in 13 counties.

According to agriculture officials, the spotted lanternfly is native to China, India and Vietnam.

It’s known to feed on more than 70 plant species and is considered a major problem in South Korea, where it was first introduced in 2006.

The adults are described as one-inch long and a half-inch wide at rest. The forewing is grey with black spots. The hind wings have contrasting patches of red and black with a white band.

If someone spots this pest, please contact WVDA Plant Industries at 304-558-2212 or sparker@wvda.us.