MONROE COUNTY, Michigan (WJW) – The invasive spotted lanternfly has been confirmed very close to Northeast Ohio.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Tuesday that the insect had been detected in Monroe County, which is just across the Ohio border.
A small population of juveniles were found in Lambertville on June 17, according to a press release.
“The infestation was detected through spotted lanternfly monitoring traps deployed by Michigan State University, as part of collaborative survey initiatives with MSU, MDARD, and the USDA,” said Steve Carlson, MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director.
The spotted lanternfly is a plant killer.
It feeds on a wide range of plants and trees including black walnut, willow, sumac, red maple, and river birch.
The spotted lanternfly also secretes a sticky liquid when it is feeding that can grow mold and kill plants.
What should you do if you see one?
The first thing you’re asked to do is take a picture. Make note of the date, time and location of the sighting.
Vince Burkle, of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, holds an adult spotted lanternfly found in Huntington, Indiana, on Aug. 17, 2022. (Andy Lavalley/Post-Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) 
JERSEY CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 22: The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan in New York City as a spotted lanterfly walks on a wall on September 22, 2023 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) 
JERSEY CITY, NJ – AUGUST 26: A spotted lanternfly stands on a railing next to the Hudson River on August 26, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) 
Spotted lanternfly nymphs cling to a porcelain berry vine in Towson. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 26: Dead spotted lanternflies perch on a tree at Inwood Hill Park on September 26, 2022 in New York City. Spotted lanternflies, an insect native to Southeast Asia that scientists say arrived in the U.S. seven years ago and in New York City in 2020, feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, leaving them susceptible to disease and destruction from other pests. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
You can report it two ways in Ohio.
- Call or email Plant Pest Control Section of the Ohio Department of Agriculture: (614) 728-6400 or plantpest@agri.ohio.gov
OR - Report via mobile app: EDDMapS Great Lakes Early Detection Network
After you snap the photo and report it, the advice is to kill it.
Here are some other tips:
- Check your vehicle: Before leaving a parking lot or work site, inspect vehicles for spotted lanternfly egg or insects. Check doors, sides, bumpers, wheel wells, grills, and roofs. Destroy any eggs or insects you find.
- Park with windows closed: The spotted lanternfly and its nymphs can enter vehicles unsuspectedly. When parked, make sure to keep windows closed.
- Remove and destroy pests: Crush nymphs and adult insects. Scrape egg masses into a plastic bag containing hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol to kill them.
More from Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources here.