Overview
Lycorma delicatula, or Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), is an invasive plant hopper from Asia. In the United States, it was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014. Spotted Lanternfly has been found in New York State on Staten Island, all New York City boroughs, Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Ithaca, Binghamton, Middletown, Newburgh, Highland, and the Buffalo area. SLF threatens the agriculture and forestry industries, and is also a nuisance pest. The nymphs and adults feed on over 70 different plants with piercing sucking mouthparts.
Agricultural Impact
SLF has the potential to damage multiple agricultural crops in New York. SLF is a pest of apples, grapes, hops, maple, walnut, and others. New York is estimated to produce more than 30 million bushels of apples each year, while grapes in New York are valued at an annual harvest of $52.8 million. Additionally, the expanding hops industry and the maple and timber industries would also be negatively impacted by the spread of SLF.
Our Work
Since January 2018, the Department has been working cooperatively with multiple state and federal partners to monitor for SLF populations in New York. Regulatory actions have also been put in place to mitigate the risk of SLF arriving in New York. Outreach to the public, trade groups, and other stakeholders is ongoing to provide up-to-date information related to SLF. Spotted Lanternfly has been found in New York State on Staten Island, all New York City boroughs, Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Ithaca, Binghamton, Middletown, Newburgh, Highland, and the Buffalo area.
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Director for Plant Industry, Chris Logue, discusses the State’s efforts to combat the Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive pest that can be devastating to New York agriculture.
Quarantine
On October 2, 2018, the Department enacted an external quarantine covering the areas of states where SLF is known to have populations. The quarantine restricts the movement of goods and vehicles that could transport SLF to New York State from certain counties in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Take Action
If you see a Spotted Lanternfly in New York City, kill it immediately by stepping on it or crushing it. People living in New York City do not need to report Spotted Lanternfly sightings to the Department or collect samples at this time.
If you live outside New York City, you can help the Department by reporting SLF immediately after it is found. Follow these steps:
- Take a photo
- Collect a sample and place it in a freezer or in a jar with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer
- Contact the SLF responders
After you have reported SLF in your area and collected a sample, you should kill any additional SLF you see by stepping on it or crushing it.
iMapInvasives
Additionally, New York State has launched a new effort to combat SLF. The State invites volunteers to sign up to survey a specific area, or grid, of land on iMapInvasives. This online, GIS-based data management system is used to assist citizen scientists and natural resource professionals to protect against the threat of invasive species. Volunteers will also enter data from their survey work into iMapInvasives.
The State will hold a series of training webinars to educate volunteers on how to identify SLF and tree-of-heaven, a plant that SLF commonly feeds on. Each training webinar will focus on a different life stage of SLF based on the time of year that stage would be most likely found during survey. Learn more.