Connecticut Renews Order of Quarantine for Invasive Spotted Lanternfly
Last Summer, I wrote an article about how an invasive foreign insect had been found in lower Fairfield County here in Connecticut. Now, according to the Director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Spotted Lanternfly has now been found in multiple towns in both Fairfield and New Haven counties, and an Order of Quarantine issued by the state has just been renewed for all of 2022.
The Spotted Lanternfly is an exotic, invasive sap-feeding insect, indigenous to China and India, that has the potential to severely impact Connecticut's agricultural crops according to CT.Gov. In particular, the Spotted Lanternfly poses a serious threat to Connecticut's apples, grapes, hops, and half of Connecticut's trees.
The Spotted Lanternfly was first found in the United States in 2014 in Pennsylvania, and they've slowly made their way North to our state. Spotted Lanternflys feed on the sap from trees and vines, weakening them to the point where they can't conduct photosynthesis effectively. And the cherry on top of the bad news? Spotted Lanternfly poop encourages the growth of black, sooty mold.
Multiple Spotted Lanternfly populations have been found in Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford, Norwalk, Milford, Orange, and Cheshire. Right now, they are in egg masses riding out the Winter, and early detection is important to stop this threat.
If you see, or suspect that you've seen a Spotted Lanternfly, take a photo of it, collect it if possible, and report your finding at ReportSLF@ct.gov.