A reader in the F.B. Brown side of town discovered a spotted lanternfly in her yard yesterday. The inch-long lanternfly, native to Asia, has become known for damaging agriculture since arriving in the United States through Philadelphia seven years ago.
Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, Somerset, and Warren counties have been under a spotted lanternfly quarantine since August 2020. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has asked visitors to those counties to check any outdoor gear for “hitchhikers” before they leave and kill them.
The Verona reader discovered lanternflies on a shed in her yard and on the Tree of Heaven in her neighbor’s yard and killed them. The Verona Environmental Commission says that, if you see a spotted lanternfly, you should kill it and any insect eggs you see and then report it to the DEP.
We live on Valleyview Rd. in Verona and have killed about a 130 nymphs. My daughter thought she had discovered a new bug when we first saw a spotted lanternfly nymph, which is a small (around a quarter of an inch) black and white polka-dotted hopping bug. She wasn’t far off, as they are relatively new to the United States. Later they turn into a bigger black and red beetle then into the adult lanternfly that looks like a very pretty moth of black red and white. They especially love wild grape vines, so that is one place to look if you grow grape or have wild grape vines around. Unfortunately we also saw a few on a tree in Verona Park. We have to make a concerted effort to kill them. I’m not really into killing most bugs–and often put insects outside the house when they come instead of squashing them–but the spotted lanternfly has to go!