Invasive spotted lanternflies growing in the Ocean State
Two years after the invasive species arrived in Rhode Island, the spotted lanternfly is doing what it does best: invading the state.
Officials from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said this week that they’ve received an influx of reports about the moth-like insects, with 27 verified reports this year — much higher than previous years.
If left uncontrolled, the invasive pests could impact ecological stability, and cost the state millions of dollars in economic damage, according to US Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, who announced late last month that they had secured $132,474 in federal funds to help keep spotted lanternflies from “spreading and damaging local plant life as well as the state’s nursery and landscaping industry.”
The spotted lanternfly is native to China, and was first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania, in 2014. It has since spread to 14 other states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.
In 2021, Rhode Island had its first confirmed spotted lanternfly finding, in a commercial area in Warwick. There were three total verified reports that year. In 2022, there were 18 verified reports, and this year there have been 27 verified reports so far, DEM officials said.
Since June, the department has received reports from Smithfield, Lincoln, Providence, North Providence, Pawtucket, Warwick, and Johnston. Last month, the DEM commissioned spraying to combat the pests along portions of Route 7 and Route 146.
The insects are about an inch long and a half-inch wide, and have a spotted pattern, scarlet underwings, and yellow markings on their abdomen. The nymph is all black with bright white spots, and the egg masses are about an inch long and resemble a smear of mud.
State officials are encouraging the public to take photos and report the species online if they encounter one — “and also squish them if possible.”
In the fall, adult female lanternflies typically lay their eggs, which can survive through the winter and then hatch in the spring. Each egg mass contains 30-50 eggs, so finding and destroying these egg masses can make a difference, officials said.
The species feeds on a wide range of trees, plants, and crops, threatening certain fruit, ornamental, and hardwood trees, including maple, oak, pine, poplar, and sycamore. The species also threatens fruit crops such as apples, apricots, cherries, grapes, hops, nectarines, peaches, and plums.
Spotted lanternflies suck sap out of branches and plant stems, which weaken and kill and plant. They leave behind a sticky, sugary waste matter called “honeydew,” which promotes the spread of mold that further harms the plant.
In Pennsylvania, where the pest has been spreading for over six years, there has been significant yield loss in vineyards and the insect has become a public nuisance, according to the DEM’s website.
In addition to the federal funds, Reed and Whitehouse are also cosponsoring a bipartisan bill, called the Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act, that would designate the insect as a high-priority research initiative for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The designation would authorize officials to make grants available for research projects related to the mitigation of the invasive species, and to find creative solutions to stop the spread.
“The spotted lanternfly could cause real problems for Rhode Island’s environment as well as our landscaping and agricultural industries,” Senator Whitehouse said in a statement. “We are boosting the state’s efforts to limit growth of this invasive pest.”