2 North Carolina counties are home to an invasive species. This invasive insect isn’t just making its home in North Carolina but up and down the east coast.

The Spotted Lanternfly

Authorities on the subject advise to keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly. The insects made their American debut back in 2014. Pennsylvania was the first state to document the species. The bugs are native to China and Vietnam.

Here we are ten years after the bugs were documented and it’s a problem. They have invaded multiple cities across the northeast. 2 North Carolina counties are now home to the invasive species. The Spotted Lanternfly has been documented in Forsyth and Guilford counties. If you see a spotted lantern fly officials ask that you take a picture and report it.

What Kind Of Damage Can It Do

So what kind of damage can the spotted lanternfly do? Plenty. The pesky invasive bug has led to crop loss exporting issues and increased management loss. Spotted lanternfly also feed together. And while they don’t sting their large numbers can be messy, they apparently love grapes  but don’t like to invade apple or peach trees. And that is good news for our North Carolina and South Carolina fruit farmers.

2 North Carolina Counties Home To Invasive Species

Here are some telltale signs of this invasive insect. According to cornell. edu, feeding may cause things like oozing, wilting, defoliation or plant death. They reportedly don’t attach themselves directly to the fruit “sooty mold growth” on the skins can make crops unmarketable. The “sooty mold” is for sure not a good thing. It can inhibit the photosynthetic capacity of leaves.

This isn’t the only pesky flying critter in North Carolina. Anyone having trouble with stink bugs? They are everywhere. But it gets worse.  Spring 2024 will be the largest spike in cicada in 2 decades.

Source - https://country1037fm.com