ST. LOUIS – Experts worry that a new, invasive insect making its way across the country could soon arrive in Missouri.
“The spotted lanternfly is not a fly at all. It’s something called a ‘true bug,’” Emily Althoff, an assistant extension professor and state extension specialist of urban entomology with the MU Extension and Lincoln University, said. “It falls into this group of planthoppers and that means that it has a piercing, sucking mouth part that it uses to feed off the sap of a plant.”
The spotted lanternfly was introduced to Pennsylvania in 2014 and has been making its way west.
“It’s been identified in Cook County—that was in 2023—as well as in two counties near Nashville, Tennessee,” Althoff said.
The insect can lay eggs on metal objects like planes, trains, and automobiles, which has led to its quick expansion westward. Experts are concerned about its seemingly imminent arrival in Missouri.
“It will also feed on apples, grapes, hardwoods, and affect things like our wine industry here in Missouri. It can also be a nuisance pest in urban environments,” she said.
The spotted lanternfly feeds on the sap of plants and produces what experts call “honey dew.”
“And honey dew is essentially this really sticky stuff that’s going to get on all of the plants it’s feeding on,” Althoff said.
This honey dew can produce sooty mold, attracting wasps and yellow jackets to our yards, and make plants vulnerable.
“Our grapes; again, that sooty mold is a really big problem for any sort of plant that’s trying to gather nutrients and grow,” Althoff said. “It’s also an issue because it’s going to stress those plant out quite a bit.”
When it will arrive isn’t known but preparations are being made.
“The Missouri Department of Agriculture has been monitoring for these insects over the years and so we’re trying to have a first line of defense against them,” Althoff said.
If you think you’ve seen a spotted lanternfly it’s important to report it immediately to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. To do this, take a picture, safely collect the insect, if possible, and email the photo and location to plantpest@mda.mo.gov.
You can also report it to the Missouri Department of Conservation, or the United States Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection and Quarantine Group.
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