Source: NCDA&CS, 3/15/21


While North Carolina has its fair share of invasive species already within the state, experts at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are also on the lookout for pests just outside of our borders. The Spotted Lanternfly is a particularly worrisome pest with heavy breeding populations in several nearby states, and NCDA&CS experts are carefully monitoring its spread to minimize any damage it could to here at home.

Originally from China, the Spotted Lanternfly became invasive in Korea in 2004. The pest was first discovered in America in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and has since grown quickly to establish populations in nine states primarily in the Northeast.

Amy Michael, who leads the NCDA&CS Spotted Lanternfly program, said that the bugs likely entered the United States by stowing away on shipping boats.

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