I Spy a Spotted Lanternfly

Around this time last year, an invasive species dominated the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Specifically, in Baltimore, the Spotted Lanternfly was everywhere. You could not walk outside without seeing at least 3 of these bugs. A spotted lanternfly is a pest native to parts of Asia that is very harmful to trees and plants. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "when the spotted lanternfly feeds, it excretes a sticky, sugary fluid that promotes sooty mold growth, which can further damage plants." Spotted lanternflies reproduce rather rapidly. Females can lay hundreds of eggs on tree branches and trunks. The eggs typically hatch in May or June and develop into adults towards the end of summer.

Above is a spotted lanternfly that I saw in the fall of 2024. This is a full-grown adult lanternfly because it has large wings with red markings. The babies, or "nymphs," are much smaller and are either all red or all black with white spots. According to the Life Cycle of the Spotted Lanternfly provided by Molly Schafer from the Mt. Cuba Center, the black nymphs are younger, and the red nymphs are in their late stage.

During the summer of 2024, a friend and I were crossing the Communication Bridge at Morgan State. There were lots of young nymphs on the bridge. They were very small. Only a few nymphs were captured in the picture below.

Due to the large populations of spotted lanternflies around campus, social campaigns were launched to help get rid of them. The "See It, Squash It" message became very popular, and many students who came in contact with a lanternfly aggressively squashed it with the tip of their shoe.

Below is video footage of Nature Girl with a friend. We decided to squash the nymphs as we came in contact with them.

Other than squashing them, to get rid of spotted lanternflies, you can combine a mixture of dish soap and water and spray it on them. The good thing about these little creatures is that they do not bite or attack humans. Spotted lanternflies are people friendly, but not environment friendly. They are mainly an annoyance. These bugs slightly remind me of cicadas due to the large mass of them that are always flying around. Cicadas are another conversation for another day!

When gathering the photos that I had taken of spotted lanternflies, I asked my friends if they had any photos to share. One friend responded, "my first thought was to step on them, not take a picture." Another friend responded, "those little devils, nope!" No one had any pictures, but could remember the impact that these bugs had on their life.

The spotted lanternfly takeover during the summer and fall of 2025 was not as bad as the summer and fall of 2024. The question is, will we expect to see them dominate our summer and fall this year? Share this blog with your friends and ask them if they remember encountering this bug!

XOXO,

Nature Girl

Sources:

Spotted Lanternfly | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species with a harmful appetite for more than 70 types of plants, causing damage…

The Life Cycle of the Spotted Lanternfly - Mt. Cuba Center By Molly Schafer Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive insect. These planthoppers are in the order…

Everything You Need To Know About... Wondering why everyone is talking about cicadas this year? It's because of the emergence of periodical cicadas ! Keep…