ELAINE HALL
Assistant Resource Manager
They’ve been in the news a lot recently, and for good reason. It’s the time of year to “Spot the Spot!”
Spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an incredibly invasive non-native insect covering more and more ground in Ohio. The first confirmation of spotted lanternfly in Ohio was in Mingo Junction in 2020. On May 15th, 2025 six new Ohio counties were added to the quarantine list. Franklin County, Ohio, was added to the spotted lanternfly quarantine list in August 2023. (Read here to find out what the quarantine means) Thus far Metro Parks park staff have only documented the hopper in one park.
So what exactly is this insect doing that makes it so invasive? What does it look like and what are some of our native species that look similar? Lastly, what can you do about it?
Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper native to China and Vietnam. They hop and glide with the assistance of wings. Not at all picky eaters, spotted lanternflies will feed on over 70+ different species of plants including everything from woody trees to vining plants. The worst part is that they have a hankering, or preference, for agricultural staples such as fruit trees, grape vines, hops, maple and walnut trees. Feeding in large numbers or infestations they pierce the plant with hundreds of holes to suck out sap from these plants. Feeding holes result in wilting, dieback, sooty mold damage, a weakened immune system, and decreased abilities to make it through the winter.
Being able to recognize the spotted lanternfly in all of its life stages is important. Adults are roughly an inch long and half an inch wide with grey forewings, red hindwings with black spots and black wing edges. Baby or nymph stages of the bug start out as black with white spots and as they grow turn bright red and black with white spots.
Egg cases on the other hand may be the most important thing to identify as it is their stationary time period and easier to find them. In fall, adults will lay egg masses on not only plants, but also any other smooth surface. Outdoor furniture, siding and decking, fence posts, your car’s tires, wheel wells, and trailers and cargo. This makes them highly mobile as they hitch rides across county and state lines.
Egg masses are about 1.5 inches long and colored brown/grey. The eggs are laid in rows, roughly the size of a sharpened pencil point. Eggs within the egg mass can vary in color from yellow to brown. After the female lays the eggs, she attempts to cover them with a substance believed to help them survive the winter and predation. When this substance is first deposited, it is white and glossy. After a few hours, the substance becomes duller and dries to a darker grey/brown color. However, some egg masses do not get covered, usually because the female was disturbed in the process.
Native Look-a-Likes
There are a few native species that look similar to spotted lanternfly at all their life stages. So be sure to do a double take! In adult stages several of our native moths look like the spotted lanternfly. Most notably the Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia) which is a state species of concern and the adults of a fan favorite group, the wooly bear caterpillars. These include the giant leopard moth and tiger moths.
The egg masses of a favorite bait of fisherman and a highlight of any creeking program – dobsonflies (or known as hellgramites in their larval stage) look similar to spotted lanternfly egg masses. If you’re playing down in the creek this summer you may see them on rocks and on the underside of trees, logs and bridges. Other egg masses that look similar to spotted lanternfly include mud dauber wasps, mantis, and spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth, which are also invasive). They can even look like lichen!
What Can You Do?
So what can you do if you “Stop the Spot?” In the parks please report any sightings of spotted lanternfly to info@metroparks.net. Pictures and a GPS coordinate are extremely helpful.
If you’re from outside of Franklin County and live in a non-quarantined county, and think you’ve found a spotted lanternfly at any life stage, take a picture and report the finding to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. If you’re from a quarantine county (this includes Franklin County) no need to report.
On your own property there are many things you can do. Egg masses can be destroyed prior to nymphs emerging. Egg masses may be squashed by popping the individual eggs within the masses, or scraping egg masses with an edge of a credit card into soapy water (dish soap works) or rubbing alcohol will kill the eggs. Do not move outside furniture, equipment, or plant material like fire wood without looking for egg masses first. If you have non-native invasive plants on your property, such as tree of heaven, consider removing them. They come from the same region of the world as spotted lanternfly and may attract them since they are a known host.