In 2014, the first spotted lanternflies were detected in Berks County, Pennsylvania, believed to have come over as egg masses on a stone shipment from Asia.<\/p>\n
Since then, the invasive insect has spread rapidly across the country, with infestations in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and as far north as Mercer County coming close to the Erie region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have thus far, miraculously, managed to keep lanternfly out of the Lake Erie region,\u201d said Megan Luke, Viticulture Specialist at Penn State Extension. \u201cUltimately, they are going to get here, and the populations are going to grow, and so it is something that are farmers are going to have to deal with eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
As their territory<\/a> continues to expand, Luke said they want to keep the lanternfly away as long as possible, but with many of their favorite foods growing in the region, it\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/p>\n Grape growers\u2019 livelihood in jeopardy after processor terminates contracts <\/a><\/p>\n She said lanternflies will eat several different plant and tree species in the region, but they especially have an appetite for grapevines, which could pose a problem to approximately 31,500 acres<\/a> of vineyard in the Lake Erie region.<\/p>\n One farmer in Lake City operates 350 acres of farmland, growing grapes and all sorts of different fruits and vegetables. He said when you see one lanternfly, you\u2019re probably going to see a lot more.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen pictures of where they just wiped out an apple orchard, didn\u2019t get any harvest at all out of it, and they could do the same with the grapes. They can get into just about anything, raspberries, blueberries, so we certainly don\u2019t want them. Where they came from, we\u2019d definitely like to ship them back,\u201d said John Mason, CEO of Mason Farms<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mason said he hasn\u2019t seen any lanternflies on his farm yet, but an infestation could be devastating to his livelihood, especially if they strike right before harvest time.<\/p>\n To protect local farms from the invasive bug, Penn State Extension is urging the public to take action. If you see what you think is a lanternfly, take a picture, report it, then squash it.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, it really is up to the general public to keep an eye out for this because the likely routes of introduction are going to be private vehicles coming back to the area with some hitchhikers hanging on,\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n Luke says lanternflies can hang on to vehicles at high speeds, and they encourage travelers to check their vehicles or even use a car wash before entering Erie County from an infested area.<\/p>\n Pick your own strawberry season officially underway at Mason Farms <\/a><\/p>\n As for what to look for, lanternflies follow three stages of life.<\/p>\n From September to May, the public should look for egg masses, which are a grayish-brown, mud-like covering on the bark of trees or other smooth surfaces.<\/p>\n Then, from April to October, the bugs hatch into wingless nymphs with white spots, later developing red patches as they mature.<\/p>\n Finally, from July to November, lanternflies enter adulthood, displaying gray wings with black spots when resting, and red hind wings when flying.<\/p>\n Luke said the bugs are easily startled and won\u2019t hesitate to jump when approached or touched.<\/p>\n If you would like to report a lanternfly, you can do so at Penn State Extension\u2019s website <\/a>or at the PA Department of Agriculture\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n