NORTHAMPTON — As Larry Godard tucks grape vines into the catch wires of a trellis, he inspects each leaf for white, powdery mildew dust, rust-colored spots of black rot and spotted-wing drosophila bite marks, all signs of the common pests that have threatened his crops for years.
But this year, the Mineral Hills Winery owner keeps his eyes peeled for a new grape eater, one that recently hitchhiked into Northampton.
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect originally from China and Vietnam. It typically thrives in urban areas, where it covers benches and trees in a sticky substance called honeydew. But in rural areas, the species is infamous for sucking the sap out of hops and stone fruits such as peaches and plums, and most commonly grapes.
“We’re keeping an eye out for them,” Godard said.
By flying into car windows and laying eggs in wheel wells, the spotted lanternfly is an expert hitchhiker. It first entered Hampshire County in 2024 when infestations were reported in Granby, and since then has spread its way north to 10 communities in Hampshire County and one, Sunderland, in Franklin County in the last 11 months, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Invasive Pest Dashboard.
“It’s an insect, it can fly, it reproduces in large numbers like most insects do, so this is unfortunately what we were expecting to happen,” said Jennifer Forman-Orth, an environmental biologist for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Infestations in Hampshire County remain small, Forman-Orth said. The photos of sightings sent to MDAR show one or two insects on each plant, rather than the dozens covering trees in New York or Pennsylvania. This, she said, is good for growers and people alike, who can continue to monitor the land and prevent further infestation.
“[It’s] still a little early on in the investigation such that we’re not seeing any major impacts, but that’s actually good,” she said. “We want to educate growers now about this pest so that they can minimize the impact.”
Sticky stowaways
The story of the spotted lanternfly follows a similar plot to other nonnative species, said Tawny Simisky, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Extension. Since the insect’s arrival in Pennsylvania in 2014, humans have helped spread the species to 19 states, all following similar movement patterns.
Spotted lanternflies can only move three to five miles per year on its own by walking, hopping or taking a short flight. They travel longer distances the same way humans do: by car.
“This can be as simple as a vehicle stopping at a gas station, and an adult [lanternfly] accidentally hopping into an open window, and then moving to the next point in the destination,” Simisky said.
The insect also has plenty of food sources, but few species have it on the lunch menu. Simisky said scientists have identified some native spiders, birds and parasitic wasps that eat spotted lanternflies. However, without its native predators around, the spotted lanternfly population grows unchecked.
Its preferred host plant, the invasive tree of heaven, is established itself in the United States as well, particularly along roadsides. The spotted lanternfly does not need the tree of heaven to survive — it feeds off more than 100 plant species — but some studies have shown spotted lanternflies that feed on the tree are heathier and lay more eggs.
Besides the tree of heaven, grapes are the spotted lanternfly’s favorite snack, said John Galvan, a fruit specialist at UMass Extension. The pest is not the biggest threat to the health of vineyards, but it is slowly becoming more of a concern, Galvan said. The insect has not been seen on stone crops and hops.
“For the wine industry, the adults cause the most damage to grapes because they are sap suckers,” he continued. “They sap all the nutrients in the vine before the winter, so when the spring comes, the vines are very weak.”
The spotted lanternfly is a nuisance pest for homes and businesses, Forman-Orth said. Large infestations cover surfaces with honeydew that leaves people in the sticky substance, attracts stinging insects and ferments into mold.
Slowing the spread
Just as humans are the main factor in spreading the lanternfly, they are also the key to slowing its spread. Forman-Orth asks people to check their vehicles for hitchhikers before driving from an infested community to a lanternfly-free one. They are known to hide in wheel wells and wiper wells. Cars parked near a tree of heaven are more likely to attract these insects.
Since the infestations are still new in Hampshire County, MDAR requests residents continue to report any spotted lanternfly sightings. This helps surveyors know where new populations are headed.
The state is focused on slowing the spread into other states, like Vermont and New Hampshire, and protecting local agriculture, Forman-Orth said.
“Mostly, we want to get the word out to growers about what we can do,” she said.
There are some insecticides that can kill the spotted lanternfly, but Galvan said the state has not certified any specific treatment. Manual removal and cone traps are the cheapest and most organic options for farmers.
Residents and farmers with spotted lanternfly infestations on their property can remove them by picking them off surfaces or sucking them up in any canister vacuum. Ensure that they are killed by crushing them or leaving them in the vacuum for at least 24 hours. Eggs can be scraped off and crushed with a credit card.
Spotted lanternfly sighting submissions and more management resources can be found at mass.gov/spotted-lanternfly.
