Natural Resources Canada in tandem with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is conducting an awareness campaign about spotted lanternfly, just before the camping season starts in earnest.

 
Spot it?

Keep an eye out on vehicles and outdoor items like tents, wheelbarrows, and woodpiles for signs of the spotted lanternfly. If you’re travelling or going camping to known infested areas in the U.S., check your vehicle, camper, trailer, or RV for any signs of the invasive pest before moving to a new location or coming home.  

Snap it 

If you find an egg mass, nymph, or adult spotted lanternfly, get out your phone and take a picture. They like to live in groups, so if you see one, there are most likely more.

Catch it 

This next step favours the bold. If you find an egg mass, scrape as many of them off as you can into a bag. If you find the spotted lanternfly in a later stage, do your best to catch as many as you can. Put them in a tightly sealed container or bag, then stick it in a freezer.

Report it 

Take detailed notes of where you found them along with the kind of plant they were on and the geographic location as well. If you can’t catch all of them, make a note of where you see more. Then report it to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  

Don’t let its look fool you! This beauty is a beast. 

This is a remarkable-looking insect. The immature nymph starts out being black with bright white spots, then turn dark red with white spots and blacklines. The winged adults sit with their wings like a tent over their backs. These wings are pale grey with pinkish hues and have many black spots covering 2/3 of the wing. The last 1/3 of the wing is a distinct patch of fine, parallel, dashed black lines. When these wings open for flight, they reveal the underwings which are red with black spots, at the base, followed a band of white then a band of black. But these looks won’t stop it from attacking your grapes, strawberries, maples, and several other plants. 

For more information on the spotted lanternfly visit: 

·        (EN) Canada.ca/spotted-lanternfly 

·        (FR) Canada.ca/fulgore-tachete 

Source: Natural Resources Canada June 19, 2023 news release