The spotted lanternfly is a threat to many crops and trees, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and is now considered an invasive species in the northeastern United States.
The insect is native to China and during the past few years, spotted lanternflies have been seen in New Jersey and 10 other states — Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
If you see a spotted lanternfly, you’re advised to kill it to prevent them from causing damage to trees and plants.
Here’s how to spot one of these colorful insects.
How to identify a spotted lanternfly
Young spotted lanternfly nymphs can be identified by their black bodies with white spots, which are usually 1/8 to 1/2 inch long, according to PestWorld.org. When they grow older, the nymphs’ black bodies turn bright red.
Adult spotted lanternflies can be identified by their black spots on their front wings that cover brightly-colored hind wings.
The fully grown spotted lanternflies are also 1-inch long and 1/2-inch wide at rest, have six legs and are oval-shaped at rest and butterfly-shaped when they spread their wings.
A cluster of spotted lanternfly nymphs - young lanternflies with their wings not yet developed - are seen on a grapevine branch in New Brunswick on Friday, July 15, 2022.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
How to kill spotted lanternflies
Because spotted lanternflies and their eggs are an invasive species, agricultural experts say it is best to kill these pests whenever possible.
“You can do this by walking your property from September through April and checking for the egg masses on trees, cement, rocks and other hard surfaces,” says the Davey Tree Expert Company.
“Scrape them off of surfaces and put them in a container or bag with a bit of hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol. You can also smash them.”
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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.