Greenwich Residents Urged To Squash Spotted Lanternflies

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich residents are being urged to squash spotted lanternflies if discovered.

The Greenwich Conservation Commission said in a Facebook post last week there have been more sightings of the invasive fly in town this year.

According to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), the flies have been detectedin Connecticut with established populations in Fairfield, Litchfield, Hartford, New Haven, and New London Counties.

The spotted lanternfly is relatively new plant pest to the United States, and represents a threat to Connecticut’s environment, residential areas, and agricultural interests, especially forests, orchards, vineyards, and nurseries., the CAES says. The fly was first found in the U.S. in 2014.

The CT Department of Transportation last week encouraged motorists to check their vehicles for spotted lanternflies who might've hitched a ride. Signs are posted in all rest stops around the state.

For more on the spotted lanternfly in Connecticut, click here.