Invasive insect, a danger to vineyards, beer hops, found in Connecticut
Spotted lanternflies seen in New Canaan
An invasive insect that has devastated vineyards, beer hop fields, orchards and other crops in several mid-Atlantic states, may be finding a home in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven announced last week that adult spotted lanternflies were detected in NewCanaan. Asingle example of the insect was seen in Stamford. Last month spotted lanterflies were also found in Greenwich and West Haven. State and federal plant inspectors are conducting surveys to determine the extent of the infestation.
The spotted lanternfly, native to China, India and Vietnam, first appeared in the U.S. in 2014. There were sightings in Farmington in 2018 and Southbury in 2019.
“This insect has the potential to cause a great deal of damage, says Deputy State Etymologist Victoria Smith. The lanternfly has
affected crops in several states, particularly in Pennsylvania. It has also been found in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
There’s another danger, associated with how the insect sucks and digests sap from fruit. Smith says there have been incidents where peoplebrokearmsorlegsslippingon accumulated lanternfly excrement.
The spotted lanternfly travels easily and can “hitchhike” on any stationary object. Smith says the insect first came to the United States “on a load of stone shipped fromKoreaandhasalsobeenfound riding the engines of cars.”
The local sightings have been of just one or two insects at a time, but Smith says the spotted lanternfly can “reproduce prolifically.” A hard frost, such as is imminent in Connecticut now, can kill off adult lanternflies, but “that will not kill off any eggs that have been laid,” Smith says.
The CAES urges Connecticut residents to look out for the insect and report sightings by email to ReportSLF@ct.gov, including a photo if possible. Smith says arborists, master gardeners and those who work at plant nurseries are an invaluable resource in helping detect newvisiting insects, andthat one of this year’s spotted lanternfly sightings came from a driver who found one flying inside a car.
The spotted lanternfly is “an absolutely beautiful insect,” Smith says. “It’s very easy to identify.”
State Entomologist Dr. Kirby Stafford says that Pennsylvania, where the spotted lanternfly was first discovered, now has “huge populations there.” He defines a population as a group of a dozen or more. Stafford is concerned, based on the Connecticut sightings, that “some eggs probably will be laid” in the state. Those eggs could hatch from April to June next year.