The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect from Asia, first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and in Maryland in 2018. As of 2026 it is widely established across most of Maryland and under active quarantine management by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. This is a plant and tree pest. It does not infest homes, damage structures, or establish indoor populations. Understanding what it is and what it is not helps you make reasonable decisions about it.
Identification
Adults are about an inch long, with wings held tent-like over the body at rest. The forewings are pale gray with black spots. When the bug opens its wings, the hind wings display a vivid red and black pattern. The abdomen is yellow with black bands. Adults appear from late July through October.
Nymphs pass through four instars before reaching adulthood. The first three instars are small, black, and covered in white spots. The fourth instar, which appears in late June and July, develops red patches alongside the black and white coloring. These color changes are the most useful field identifier for nymphs.
Egg masses are laid from September through December and resemble dried mud or putty on bark, stone, vehicles, and outdoor furniture. Each mass holds 30 to 50 eggs under a gray waxy coating. Egg masses on vehicles are the most common way spotted lanternfly spreads to new areas, which is the core concern behind Maryland’s quarantine program.
Behavior and Habitat
Spotted lanternflies feed by sucking plant sap from stems, leaves, and bark. They use a wide range of host plants, including grapevines, hops, apples, peaches, cherries, and hardwood trees. Their preferred host is tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), an invasive tree common along roadsides, forest edges, and disturbed ground throughout Maryland. Heavy populations congregate on tree-of-heaven in late summer.
In late summer and fall, populations can be dense and visible. The insects cluster on plant stems and trunks in groups, and heavy feeding produces a sticky waste called honeydew that coats surfaces and promotes the growth of black sooty mold. This mold does not harm people but it coats leaves, lawn furniture, cars, and decks, and is the most common direct complaint from homeowners.
Spotted lanternflies do not seek overwintering shelter inside buildings. Adults die in the fall. It is the egg masses, laid on hard surfaces, that carry the population through winter and hatch the following spring.
Signs of an Infestation
Look for the insects themselves congregating on plant stems and tree trunks in late summer. Early signs include the presence of egg masses on smooth bark, stone walls, outdoor furniture, or vehicles in September through winter. On heavily infested plants, you may see the shiny honeydew coating on lower leaves and surfaces, followed by black sooty mold. Grapevines and young trees showing wilt and reduced vigor in areas with confirmed lanternfly populations should be monitored closely.
Health and Property Risks
Spotted lanternfly does not bite, sting, or transmit disease. It is not a structural pest and it does not damage homes. The risks are to plants and the agricultural economy. Grapevines and hop yards are particularly vulnerable to severe infestations, which can reduce crop yields significantly over consecutive years. Ornamental trees and hardwood forest species can be weakened by sustained, heavy feeding. Tree-of-heaven is largely unaffected because lanternfly populations tend to cycle with it.
The indirect cost to homeowners is damage to landscape plants, vineyards, and fruit trees, along with the mess of honeydew and mold on outdoor living areas.
Treatment Options
For homeowners, the focus is on reducing populations in the yard and protecting high-value plants. Scraping and destroying egg masses from October through early spring is effective and requires no chemicals. Use a plastic scraper or card, drop the masses into a bag with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, and seal it before disposal. This is genuinely useful.
Circle traps installed on tree-of-heaven and preferred host trees intercept nymphs as they move up and down the trunk. They require maintenance and monitoring but capture significant numbers without pesticide use.
For chemical control of active nymphs and adults on ornamentals and fruit trees, several contact insecticides are effective, including products containing bifenthrin, zeta-cypermethrin, or carbaryl. Systemic neonicotinoids applied as soil drenches or trunk injections protect individual trees but are not appropriate near water, flowering plants, or in areas with pollinator concerns. Applicator judgment matters. A licensed pest control operator can advise on what is appropriate for your specific plants and site.
Outdoor perimeter spraying of your home’s foundation is not effective against spotted lanternfly and is not the right tool for this pest. This is a plant pest managed in the plant environment, not around building foundations.
Prevention
Inspect your vehicle and outdoor gear before leaving quarantine zones or any area with known spotted lanternfly populations. The Maryland Department of Agriculture maintains a current quarantine zone map, and movement of plants, wood, outdoor furniture, and vehicles from these areas requires inspection and compliance. If you find egg masses on your vehicle, scrape and destroy them before you travel.
Removing tree-of-heaven from your property reduces the most attractive host and can decrease local lanternfly pressure significantly. The Maryland Department of Agriculture and University of Maryland Extension have guidance on safe removal, since tree-of-heaven stumps resprout aggressively and cutting without treatment often makes the problem worse.
If you have grapevines or a small orchard, contact your local agricultural extension office for current spray timing recommendations specific to spotted lanternfly.
What It Costs
There is no standard professional pest control service for spotted lanternfly the way there is for indoor pests. Costs depend on what you are protecting. Circle trap installation by a professional runs $50 to $150 per tree depending on location and tree size. A professional pesticide application to ornamentals or fruit trees costs $100 to $300 per visit for a typical residential property. Tree injection or soil drench of neonicotinoids by a licensed arborist or applicator costs $150 to $400 per tree depending on size and method. Removing tree-of-heaven by a tree service costs $300 to $800 per tree depending on size and access.
None of these are recurring annual pest control subscriptions. They are targeted interventions for plant protection in a managed landscape.
When to Call a Professional
If you have grapevines, fruit trees, or high-value ornamentals and spotted lanternfly populations are building in your yard, a professional consultation makes sense before the population peaks in late summer. A licensed applicator can walk the site, identify host plants, and recommend a practical management strategy.
If you find egg masses in volume, contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture to report. Reporting helps the state track spread. This is not the right pest to call a general exterminator about. The right resources are the MDA, University of Maryland Extension, and certified arborists.