Spotted Lanternfly Population Expands In Connecticut: Scientists

CONNECTICUT — State scientists have detected a young population of spotted lanternflies in Norwalk.

The announcement came from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine program on Monday.

CAES plant inspectors will now be surveying the area where the baby SLF, called "nymphs," were found, to determine the extent of the infestation.

"The insect will kill a vineyard in a year or two, and may also affect other crops such as hops and fruit trees. It will also affect trees such as maple and walnut," CAES botany and invasive-insect expert Victoria Lynn-Smith told Patch in November, when the bugs were discovered in New Canaan and Stamford. Two months earlier they had turned up in Greenwich, and a single adult insect, likely a hitchhiker, was found in West Haven. Single adults were detected in Farmington in 2018 and Southbury in 2019.

Native to China, India and Vietnam, the sap-feeding, plant-hopping insect was first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014. In the fall, adults about 1 inch long can often be found congregating on tree-of-heaven, willows and other flora. They will lay egg masses on trees and almost any nearby surface such as rocks, decks, houses, outdoor equipment and furniture. Nymphs will hatch from the eggs from April to June.

"This detection of the spotted lanternfly indicates that this insect is expanding in Fairfield County and raises future concerns for Connecticut's agriculture," said state entomologist Kirby Stafford. The insect attacks many hosts, and has the potential to severely impact apples, grapes, hops and several species of tree.

When populations of SLF are high, their excrement will rain from trees and can form slippery surfaces on steps and decks, as well as attract stinging wasps or bees.

Early detection is important, and the public is urged to report potential sightings of this invasive pest. CAES encourages anyone who suspects they have found a spotted lanternfly to snap a picture of it, collect it if possible, and report it to ReportSLF@ct.gov.