Spotted Lanternflies Are Back…They are Hitchhikers check your vehicles etc.

Photo Source: Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2021

Spotted Lanternflies were the talk of the summer and fall months last year, and now they’re back and more relentless than ever. Spotted Lanternflies will be in their nymph stage from May to late July. They will then grow to be the red and grey spotted adults until late September when they lay their eggs. It is important to know what the insect looks like throughout each life stage, and to be educated on how to get rid of them.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture recently identified 13  counties as “Quarantine Areas” with confirmed Spotted Lanternfly populations; Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Salem, Somerset, Union, and Warren County. If you are leaving a quarantine zone, the State asks that you follow a checklist to examine all belongings to ensure no adult, nymph, or eggs are left on your items. Spotted Lanternflies are known to hitchhike on many surfaces, so the hope is to help stop the spread to areas where there are currently no confirmed populations. The checklist can be found on the State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture website.