Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Arrives In GA

GEORGIA — State officials are warning of an invasive spotted lanternfly species that is threatening Georgia's agriculture.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture on Thursday said Lycorma delicatula, or the spotted lanternfly, was first detected on Oct. 22 in Fulton County. The detection was confirmed to be a spotted lanternfly on Thursday.

The "invasive planthopper" puts Georgia's crops seriously at risk, officials said. It poses no danger to humans, officials said.

Spotted lanternflies eat plants, grapes, hops, stone fruits and hardwood trees. Officials said the feeding diminishes the strength of the plants and causes a sticky, sugary fluid that promotes mold growth — which can harm crops.

These insects lay eggs from September-November and can survive throughout winter until their spring hatching during warmer temperatures, officials said.

Although adult spotted lanternflies died with the first hard frost, officials said their eggs could last throughout the wintertime. Officials said this life cycle is expected to occur in the coming weeks.

“We urge anyone who sees the spotted lanternfly in their area to document it, report it and kill it," Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a news release. "Controlling the spread of the spotted lanternfly is our best strategy for safeguarding Georgia’s agriculture industry, and we are asking for the public’s help in this effort.”

Nationally, the spotted lanternfly was first encountered in 2014 in Pennsylvania and has since spread to 17 states, including Tennessee and North Carolina.

If there are any sightings of spotted lanternflies, officials asked residents to do the following: take a clear picture of the pest, kill it and report the sightings online via the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force.

What To Look For

An adult female can lay a couple of egg masses, each containing 30 to 60 eggs, allowing populations to grow exponentially, so it’s important to kill them before they can establish another generation of the pests.

The spotted lanternfly, which showed up in Pennsylvania in 2014, spreads much more quickly than other invasives. It only took a decade for it to spread to 17 states.

By comparison, it took almost 100 years for the invasive spongy moth to spread from Massachusetts and New York, Matthew Gallo of the Finger Lakes chapter of the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management told the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Concern extends beyond the states where spotted lanternflies are established. They can jump impressive distances with their powerful legs and fly for short distances, allowing them to quickly travel 3 or 4 miles, according to experts. They’re also hitchhikers. Adults can fly into the open windows of vehicles, into picking bins and into the backs of trucks while they’re being loaded and lay their eggs on almost any surface.

The egg masses, which can look like cakes of mud, are easily transported on trailers, RVs, semi-trucks, containers, trains and other forms of shipping and transportation.