North Jersey Is 'Hotspot' For Spotted Lanternflies, Officials Say

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Although invasive spotted lanternflies were not in the news as often this summer as in previous years, sightings are starting to ramp up, particularly in one area of the state.

Officials from the state's Department of Agriculture say that if you live in North Jersey, you might see more of them this year.

"The northern part seems to have the highest populations in the state this year," said Jeff Wolfe, a spokesperson for the department, in a published report.

Saul Vaiciunas of that department called North Jersey a "hotspot" for the flies.

And September is when the pesky red flies reach adulthood and start laying eggs, to hatch in spring, the department says.

According to the department, "While adult spotted lanternflies cannot survive winter temperatures, they lay egg masses that survive the winter and hatch in the spring, usually in late April or early May. The Department asks the public to look for and scrape egg masses with a credit card or hard-edged object when possible. Each spotted lanternfly egg mass holds approximately 50 nymphs that will emerge in the spring."

The eggs are laid in September through December, officials say.

To find how to scrape egg masses, and other information about the spotted lanternfly, go to www.badbug.nj.gov.

Killing The Crops

While the spotted lanternfly does not harm humans or animals, it can feed on about 70 different types of vegetation or trees, the department has noted. Its preferred host is the Tree of Heaven, an invasive plant that has been in the United States for decades.

The spotted lanternfly comes from Asia and was first identified in the U.S. in Berks County, Pa., in 2014.

"It is considered a plant hopper and can fly only a few feet at a time," the department notes. "However, the spotted lanternfly is an excellent hitchhiker and can travel on almost any kind of transportation for several miles, which has caused it to spread to several states."

The pesky red fly feeds on the sap of grapevines and other important crops and plants in New Jersey. Residents are still encouraged to stomp it out when they see it.

The lanternflies are quarantined in all 21 New Jersey counties for the 2024 season.

That means residents of any New Jersey county should make sure not to accidentally transport them — or their eggs — on cars, equipment, in plants, or on other items. Find out more about that here.

New Jersey's Department of Agriculture says, "While it does not harm humans or animals, it can reduce the quality of life for people living in heavily infested areas...If you see a Spotted Lanternfly, help us Stomp it Out!"

The fly 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.