Dangerously Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Spotted In Mercer County

The dangerously invasive spotted lanternfly has been spotted in northern Mercer County, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher announced on Tuesday. The specific areas where the Spotted Lanternfly has been identified have been treated.

It was also spotted in Warren County earlier this year. As a result, Mercer, Warren and Hunterdon counties have been quarantined to prevent the spread of the lanternfly. Hunterdon County has been quarantined because it is between Warren and Mercer.

Businesses and the general public in the quarantine area are required to obtain and fill out a New Jersey residence checklist before moving any of the articles listed here. The checklist also serves to inform the public about the Spotted Lanternfly including how to identify all life stages of the insect and minimize or eliminate its movement.

Business entities that routinely travel in and out of the quarantine area are required to take, and pass, training regarding the Spotted Lanternfly that is supplied for free by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at http://bit.ly/2K92DdZ.

New Jersey will accept and recognize the Pennsylvania permit. Those businesses that interact exclusively in New Jersey’s quarantine zone must comply with the details outlined in the quarantine order.

The quarantine also allows access to property for Department, USDA, or USDA contracted agents where the Spotted Lanternfly is suspected or confirmed to evaluate and treat the property if necessary.

“The Spotted Lanternfly is an excellent hitchhiker, with the ability travel on all types of vehicles as well as various landscaping, wood-based materials and agricultural produce,” Fisher said. “It’s imperative that we stop the movement of this pest before it can make an impact on New Jersey.”

The fly was first spotted in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has spread to 13 counties there where the pest prefers Tree of Heaven as its host.

The spotted lanternfly — which is native to China, India, Vietnam and East Asia — is currently in its nymph stage and is likely to be either black or red with white spots, according to the NJDA. An image of the Lanternfly is attached to this post.

Nymph and adult spotted lanternflies cause extensive damage when they feed, sucking sap from stems and leaves and causing the plant to ooze and weep.

Not only does the plant die but the “fermented odor” caused by the feeding, along with the fluid excreted by the insects themselves, promotes mold growth and draws even more insects, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Department field crews have been conducting surveys for this insect along the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border since 2014, with no findings before this year. In its currents stage the fly is about a half-inch to three-quarter of an inch long and likes to make use of more than 70 different plant species.

The Department is asking for everyone's help in identifying areas where low numbers of this insect may be. Residents can email pictures of suspect insects to SLF-plantindustry@ag.nj.gov or call the New Jersey Spotted Lanternfly Hotline at 1-833-223-2840 (BAD-BUG-0) and leave a message detailing your sighting and contact information.

For more information about this insect click here.

See related: Dangerously Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed In NJ