The US population of spotted lanternflies has surged in recent years, wreaking havoc on the winemaking and forestry sectors. These invasive insects, native to China, were first detected in the United States in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Since then, they have spread to 19 states and Washington DC, with the largest infestations concentrated in the northeast, according to an August 2025 report by the US Department of Agriculture.
Impact on Vineyards
At Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, co-owner and viticulturist Tremain Hatch reported that the vineyard produced about half as many grapes in 2025 as the previous year, largely due to the lanternflies. The insects drain sap from grapevines, reducing yields and compromising wine quality. "If we spend as much time farming the grapes but we have half the crop and we’re able to make half the wine, that is not a good thing," Hatch said. The vineyard, which has been run by the Zephaniah family since 1949, first noticed the bugs around harvest time three years ago.
Researchers in New York estimate that lanternflies could cost wineries millions of dollars. The insects suck sap from a variety of plants, including grapevines, hops, and fruit trees, and secrete honeydew, a sugary liquid that promotes the growth of sooty mold. This mold can ruin grapes, making them unsuitable for harvest or wine production.
Simple Solution: Squash Them
Experts are urging the public to take direct action. "They don’t belong in our environment," said Brian Walsh, a Penn State Extension horticulture educator who studies lanternflies. "And while you may not be having a huge impact overall on the population by killing individuals, each one that you see and encounter and kill, that is one less that you’re going to accidentally move to a new area." The bugs often travel via cars, trucks, and trains, so squishing them can help prevent their spread.
David All, an arborist in Upper Arlington, Ohio, sees lanternflies everywhere during daily walks. He warns that infestations can weaken trees, especially when followed by cold winters, leading to broken branches or root decay. For homeowners, the key is smashing the bugs. "It might be a little messy, but it will save your tree," All said.
Forestry and Public Spaces
Cleveland Metroparks has seen a significant increase in lanternflies in recent years, according to Adam Regula, the parks’ climate resilient forest manager. In addition to stressing trees, the sweet liquid excreted by the bugs attracts yellow jackets and wasps. The organization has removed all trees of heaven, the lanternflies’ favorite host plant, from its parks. In 2025, they began dispatching volunteers with dogs trained to sniff out lanternfly egg masses. Handlers then scrape and destroy the eggs. Staff have also installed lanternfly traps on tree trunks.
"Our efforts are really focused on mitigating the nuisance and the impact it has on public spaces," Regula said. "We have not yet seen a huge impact in our forested ecosystems, so we are encouraged by that."
Challenges for Vineyard Owners
Adult lanternflies enter vineyards in late summer, coinciding with grape ripening, making management difficult. Drew Harner, an assistant professor of viticulture at Virginia Tech, explained that growers often must use insecticides, but options are limited close to harvest. Even if populations are reduced, lanternflies quickly re-enter from surrounding areas, creating a "rollercoaster population dynamic."
Researchers are exploring biological controls, such as releasing parasitoids from east Asia that kill lanternfly nymphs and eggs, and spraying spores that create a fungus to infect and kill the bugs. Vineyard owners have also started removing trees of heaven.
Community Efforts
For the past three years, Virginia vineyard owners have hosted an event called Scrape for the Grape, where volunteers remove lanternfly egg masses from vines and posts to reduce adult populations the following year. This year, Zephaniah Farm hosted about 60 volunteers over two days. "When there is a new pest and we are not sure how to manage it, it’s very uncomfortable and scary," Hatch said. "To have community members come out and help us, that means a lot."
Despite the growing lanternfly population, Nathan Derstine, a visiting assistant professor of biology at the University of Richmond, does not expect the bugs to cause as much damage as the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees. "This is a recent invasion," Derstine said. "It’s been about 12 years. That is not very long in the grand scheme of things." However, he acknowledged that the insects have expanded rapidly due to the lack of natural enemies in the US.
