The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive sap-feeding planthopper, first discovered in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. It has now been spotted in Shenandoah.
The three pictures below of the Lanternfly was found on trees on the east side of the Fields Methodist Church Cemetery and on trees on the west side of tunnel on Maryland Avenue (Rt 602) in the Town of Shenandoah on July 6, 2021.
Kyle Rhodes with Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) said “ Because spotted lanternflies are naturally slow movers and don’t fly long distances (Rhodes described them as “leaf-hoppers” and gliders), their movement to other areas is often facilitated – inadvertently – by humans. The insects will attach themselves to vehicles and trains, Rhodes explained, which then carry the lanternflies to a new locale.”
Spotted lanternflies prefer tree-of-heaven – another invasive species – but will also consume black walnut, black locust, American hackberry, grapevine, apple trees, hops and “hundreds of other species” of plants, Rhodes said.
Rhodes said that anyone who finds spotted lanternflies – or merely suspects they may have seen one in a non-quarantine area – should report it to VDACS. Reports can be filed via email to
Kyle Rhodes came and briefed the Shenandoah Town Council about this invasive insect on May 11, 2021.
Below is an article where VDACS’ Kyle Rhodes briefed Shenandoah County Supervisors on Spotted Lanternfly.
Supervisors briefed on spotted lanternfly as pest expands its foothold
A local representative from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services warned Shenandoah County supervisors of the threat of the spotted lanternfly and informed them that the invasive insect has been discovered in the county.
Kyle Rhodes, who lives in Woodstock and whose VDACS crews have been tasked with battling the spread of the spotted lanternfly in the region, discussed with supervisors the troublesome insect – which can prove a particular nuisance for agricultural industries – during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
During his presentation, Rhodes noted that a spotted lanternfly population was discovered at the Toms Brook truck stop just off Interstate 81, at both the Pilot and Love’s gas stations. The first of the insects were found in a trap set at that location, he said.
“We found one and then next thing you know we found hundreds,” Rhodes said. “I’ve already killed hundreds. We scraped every single egg mass that we could possibly get to 15 feet (from) the ground. I mean, I spent three days there with six people just crawling through (that location).”
The intent of Tuesday’s presentation, Rhodes told supervisors, was to inform and raise local awareness of the spotted lanternfly in an effort to prevent the insect from becoming as widespread a problem in Shenandoah County as it is in other parts of the region.
Rhodes showed supervisors a photograph of himself standing on what he said was a mound of dead spotted lanternflies 5 inches thick. They were exterminated from a single tree in Winchester.
“We’re trying to keep it from getting to this level,” Rhodes told supervisors.
The insect, which is native to Asia, was first introduced in the U.S. in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014, according to Rhodes, and was discovered in Winchester in 2018. Just this year, spotted lanternfly populations have been discovered in Frederick, Warren, Clarke, Page, Shenandoah and Augusta counties as part of a statewide effort from VDACS and agency partners to contain the pest.
Spotted lanternfly populations have become so prevalent in the city of Winchester and the counties of Frederick, Clarke and Warren that all have been designated quarantine zones, the latter two localities as recently as March. In those zones, Rhodes said, any business or organization that transports “regulated articles” outside of designated quarantine areas is required to obtain a permit and must inspect those articles for evidence of the spotted lanternfly, per state law.
Because spotted lanternflies are naturally slow movers and don’t fly long distances (Rhodes described them as “leaf-hoppers” and gliders), their movement to other areas is often facilitated – inadvertently – by humans. The insects will attach themselves to vehicles and trains, Rhodes explained, which then carry the lanternflies to a new locale.
Though the permitting process and state law applies only to businesses transporting goods, Rhodes encouraged everyone to be cognizant of when they enter a spotted lanternfly quarantine area and to perform a quick sweep of their vehicle before returning to a non-quarantine zone such as Shenandoah County.
“Half the battle right now is getting people to know about (spotted lanternflies), find them and then report them or stop them, kill them,” Rhodes said.
At this point in the year, Rhodes said the insect is in the “third instar” phase of its lifecycle and is primarily black with white spots and about the size of a “fat tick.” Spotted lanternflies will enter the fourth instar stage over the next couple of months – during which they’ll turn red in color – before morphing into adult insects with wings during the summer and fall months, according to Rhodes’ presentation.
Spotted lanternflies prefer tree-of-heaven – another invasive species – but will also consume black walnut, black locust, American hackberry, grapevine, apple trees, hops and “hundreds of other species” of plants, Rhodes said.
“This is a pest for a number of different reasons,” Rhodes said. “They can overwhelm your trees. In some instances they might cause decline to the point of death. That’s in a really bad situation.”
Though Rhodes noted that killing spotted lanternflies is easy enough – soapy water kills them, he said – locating the insects to perform the deed can prove quite difficult. The quickest way to prevent large-scale infestation is to locate the insects' egg masses and dispose of them.
“Yes, that’s the best time to get them,” Rhodes said of the egg-laying phase, which for the spotted lanternfly takes place between the summer and the first hard freeze, “but you’ve got to find them. If you have 10 adults on your property and they were laying eggs, finding them can be somewhat difficult. Right now, they’re starting to become more visible, and they're definitely drawn to certain species (of tree), which makes it easier to kind of track them down. But there’s not one silver-bullet time to go after them, unfortunately.”
Rhodes said that anyone who finds spotted lanternflies – or merely suspects they may have seen one in a non-quarantine area – should report it to VDACS. Reports can be filed via email to
At the end of Tuesday’s presentation, Shenandoah County supervisor Karl Roulston expressed hope people in the county would do their part to try to contain the invasive insect.
“We’re coming out of a pandemic and I think we are all aware how quickly things can spread if we do not pay attention,” he said.
The above article by Brad Fauber was found on The Northern Virginia Daily website.
https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/supervisors-briefed-on-spotted-lanternfly-as-pest-expands-its-foothold/article_3cfceaa2-ae89-5080-955c-9bb12065a19d.html
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Report finding of Spotted Lanternfly can also be reported to Virginia Cooperative Extension. Below is a link to their website.
https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/commercial-horticulture/spotted-lanternfly.html
More information on the Spotted Lanternfly can be found on Virginia Department of Agriculture website:
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services.shtml
