FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA – The spotted lantern fly has landed in Fairfax County and is urging residents to deal with the invasive species. The county government says any lantern flies sighted should be killed immediately because of the threat they pose to gardens and commercial industries.
According to the district government, a full-blown sighted lantern fly was confirmed in a broadcast in a grocery store in Annandale. The insect can be destructive to home gardens and commercial gardens, including the peach, apple, grape, and wine industries. When they feed on sap, they secrete a parent substance called “honeydew” that attracts wasps and ants. The substance also causes “soot mold” growth on plants and trees, which can cover leaf surfaces, stunt plant growth and ruin crops. Spotted lantern flies feed on 70 species of plants such as grapes, hops, apples, stone fruits and their preferred host, the tree of heaven, their preferred host.
The spotted lantern fly was first discovered in the United States in 2014 and has been present for several years. The invasive insect is native to China and, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, can be spread over long distances through objects with egg masses. It is now represented in at least 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In Virginia, the insect was first found in 2018. A spotted lantern fly quarantine is in place in the City of Winchester and Frederick, Clarke and Warren Counties, and sightings have been made in Loudoun Counties. The quarantine is designed to slow the spread of the invasive insect to other areas of Virginia.
Adult spotted lantern flies can be identified by their gray-brown fore wings, crimson wings hidden behind the forewings, black head, black spots, and yellow abdomen with black and white stripes on the tip and bottom. In the four nymph stages they can be black and white; or red, black and white.
Ways to get rid of spotted lantern flies depend on the time of year. Adults begin to lay eggs in October and through the first frosts. Egg masses are covered with a light gray wax that looks like mud when dry. From October to July, egg masses from objects or trees can be scraped into containers with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. Affected tree trunks should be covered with adhesive tape.
From mid-May to August, insecticides are allowed on the sky tree, the main food for spotted lantern flies. During the remainder of the year, effective methods can include stump treatments, hack-and-squirt treatments, foliar sprays, basal bark sprays, and sky tree treatments.
Residents can check items stored outdoors that may contain masses of egg, such as wood, plant and landscaping materials, trees, rocks, vehicles, and more. Trees and plants can be viewed at dusk and at night when insects gather in groups on tree trunks or plant stems.
Spotted lantern fly sightings can be reported to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Inquiries from Fairfax County residents can be directed to the Forest Pest Management Branch of the Urban Forest Management Division at 703-324-1770 or pestmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.