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Invasive insect

Spotted lanternfly

Lycorma delicatula

Spotted lanternfly identification: gray black-spotted forewings held roof-like, red hindwings and a yellow banded abdomen. Egg masses look like gray putty.

By WildScope Editorial Desk

Published Last reviewed

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)
Photo: RCLH · CC BY-SA · source
Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), photo 2
Photo: Renjusplace · CC BY-SA · source
Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), photo 3
Photo: Renjusplace · CC BY-SA · source

A spotted lanternfly adult is about 1 inch long with brown, black-spotted forewings and bright red hindwings. If the wings are closed, look for the speckled rear band and the yellow abdomen with black bars. Nothing else common in a U.S. yard combines those marks.

The insect has three stages you are likely to notice. Egg masses sit on hard surfaces from fall through spring and look like a smear of gray putty that later dries to cracked mud. Nymphs hatch from late April to June; the first three stages are black with white spots, and the fourth is red with white dots and black stripes. Adults appear in July and stay active until hard freezes. A heavy infestation announces itself with sticky honeydew, black sooty mold and a vinegar-like smell.

Spotted lanternfly feeds on grapevines, hops, stone fruit and hardwood trees, and tree of heaven is its preferred host, so a stand of tree of heaven is worth checking closely. APHIS listed 19 states and the District of Columbia with some degree of infestation when its page was last updated on August 26, 2025: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Several of those states have quarantine areas. If you are in or near one, check your vehicle, trailer, firewood and outdoor furniture before you move them.

Reports matter most at the edge of the known range. APHIS sends residents to their state agriculture department, and in Pennsylvania reports go to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture through Penn State Extension. Before you squish something, check the look-alikes guide; a wheel bug nymph is a predator that eats other insects, and boxelder bugs and milkweed bugs do not need lanternfly treatment. Firewood also spreads emerald ash borer, a beetle that kills ash trees; the emerald ash borer page explains the D-shaped exit hole to check for. If you find an egg mass, the spotted lanternfly egg guide gives the scrape-and-trash steps and the hatch window. The hatch guide lays out what to look for month by month. For the wider picture, see the insects hub and the Pennsylvania page. Photo credits and licences sit on the image credits page.

Identification

Look for the combination of characters below. A single feature is rarely enough, especially when a native look-alike is present.

Adult
About 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. The forewings are brown with black spots at the front and a speckled band at the rear. The hindwings are scarlet with black spots and white and black bars, and the abdomen is yellow with black bars.
Nymphs
There are four wingless stages. The first three are black with white spots. The fourth is about 1/2 inch long with a red body, white dots and black stripes.
Egg masses
About 1 inch long and holding 30 to 50 eggs. New masses look like wet gray putty and later turn dull brown, like a smear of cracked mud, on trees, brick, stone, vehicles and outdoor furniture.
Honeydew and sooty mold
Feeding produces a sticky, sugary liquid that leaves a shiny residue, attracts other insects and promotes black sooty mold on leaves and surfaces below.
Behavior
Nymphs and adults are strong jumpers and often gather in large numbers. Adults walk more than they fly, so their spotted forewings often stay closed.
Season
In Pennsylvania, eggs are laid from September to December and hatch from late April to June. Adults begin to appear in July and remain active until hard freezes.

Look-alikes

  • American dog tick

    Dermacentor variabilis

    Ticks have eight legs and no black-with-white-dots pattern. A newly hatched lanternfly nymph is about the same size but has six legs and white spots on a black body.

  • Brown marmorated stink bug nymph

    Halyomorpha halys

    Stink bug nymphs have white bands on the antennae and legs rather than white dots scattered over the body. The body shape is rounder and flatter.

  • Boxelder bug

    Boisea trivittata

    Boxelder bugs are red and black at every stage and lack the spotted forewings of an adult lanternfly. They gather on buildings in fall but do not feed on grapevines.

  • Wheel bug nymph

    Arilus cristatus

    A wheel bug nymph has an orange-red body with black legs, without the white-spotted black lines of a fourth-stage lanternfly. It is a predator that eats other insects.

Range and status

Native range: China

Regulatory status by state

  • pennsylvania Regulated

    Pennsylvania's spotted lanternfly quarantine prohibits movement of any living stage and regulates articles that may harbor the insect.

    Regulatory source

  • new-york Regulated

    New York's Part 142 exterior quarantine restricts movement of goods and vehicles that could carry spotted lanternfly into the state from infested areas.

    Regulatory source

  • ohio Regulated

    Ohio's statewide spotted lanternfly quarantine under OAC 901:5-56 regulates movement of the insect in any living stage and of articles that may carry it.

    Regulatory source

Why it matters

Spotted lanternfly feeds on grapevines, hops, stone fruit trees and hardwood trees, and heavy feeding has contributed to the death of grapevines and tree-of-heaven and black walnut saplings. Its honeydew coats leaves and fruit and promotes sooty mold. The National Invasive Species Information Center calls it a serious economic threat to viticulture, fruit trees, ornamentals and timber.

Management

Find and destroy egg masses

Timing: Fall through spring, before eggs hatch in late April.

Check tree trunks, bricks, stones, fences, grills, equipment and vehicles from fall through spring. APHIS advises smashing the eggs, scraping them into a plastic zippered bag with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol, sealing the bag and putting it in the trash.

Check anything you move

Before leaving a driveway or work site, inspect doors, bumpers, wheel wells, grills and roofs. Keep car windows closed when parked and, in a quarantine area, park about 15 feet away from trees. Clean outdoor furniture and equipment before storing or moving it.

Report the sighting

APHIS asks residents to report sightings to their state plant regulatory official or state plant health director, and its page links each state agriculture department. In Pennsylvania, reports go to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture through Penn State Extension.

Traps and least-toxic sprays

A funnel-style circle trap on a tree trunk can catch nymphs and adults. Sticky bands are not recommended without a wildlife barrier because they catch birds, pollinators and other animals. Penn State Extension notes that insecticidal soaps and oils can kill lanternflies; follow the product label, because the label is the law.

Do not move firewood

Egg masses can travel on firewood and other outdoor items. Buy firewood near where you burn it and leave cut wood on site when you can.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the sources below. Each link shows the date the source was accessed.

  1. Spotted Lanternfly — USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Accessed November 3, 2026
  2. Spotted Lanternfly — National Invasive Species Information Center Accessed November 3, 2026
  3. Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide — Penn State Extension Accessed November 3, 2026
  4. Spotted Lanternfly Nymph Lookalikes — Penn State Extension Accessed November 3, 2026

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