This month, an invasive insect was found nestled in a roll of silver, wired fencing at a Family Farm and Home store in Howell.
Spotted lanternfly are approximately inch-long bugs native to eastern Asia that've been a nuisance in states across the eastern United States since 2014. In Michigan, the invader has travelled from Toledo, Ohio and has infested Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, Monroe, Lenawee and Jackson counties beginning in 2022.
They spread by laying eggs on surfaces like cars, firewood and trailers and hitchhiking rides across county and state lines.
Spotted lanternflies like to feed on the tree of heaven, an invasive plant that was widely used in landscaping. They also eat grapes, apples and hardwood trees, which damages the plants by sucking their sap and secreting a sticky liquid called honeydew. The sticky substance can lead to mold, which smells bad, can kill plants and attract other nuisances like yellowjackets.
A photo of the dead adult spotted lanternfly in Howell was posted to Facebook and Reddit. Community members identified the bug as invasive and reported it to the state.
The state then reached out to Darell Butcher, the manager of the Family Farm and Home where the bug was found.
“It was solely because of that one photo on the Facebook post on why the state reached out to me,” Butcher said.
The state’s partners from the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the scene, checking for other bugs and eggs to see if this was really an infestation or just a one-off.
All they found was one dead bug – no nests or larvae.
Butcher said the insect likely hitched a ride on the fencing when it was shipped to the store from another state.
“They obviously take it very serious because one photo of one bug, and they're Johnny on the spot, and here at the store,” Butcher said. “Good on them for taking action.”
Robert Miller is an invasive species prevention and response specialist with the state. He said the state’s USDA partners not only checked the store but also surrounding streets and trees.
“Because it was an adult, that's last year's insect that's been hanging out dead and somebody finally saw that little guy,” Miller said. “We wouldn't expect to see spotted lantern fly adults until about mid to late July here in the state.”
Miller said they’re expecting spotted lanternfly to continue spreading westward, despite managing the bug.
The species spreads and reproduces quickly. In the fall, adults lay up to two egg masses – usually 35 eggs per mass. Those eggs overwinter on hard surfaces and hatch in the spring. They grow into adults over the summer, and the cycle continues.
But finding a sole spotted lanternfly isn’t enough to label a county as infested since one bug isn’t enough to start a new population.
“If there's an infestation here in this new location, we want to see signs of what we call a reproducing population,” Miller said. “That would be maybe a number of egg masses and a number of insects.”
Despite this, Miller said the bug is just a nuisance. It doesn’t cause the same level of destruction as an invasive like emerald ash borer.
“If you have a few spotted lanternfly on some plants in your ornamental garden or vegetable garden or on some trees, they're not going to kill them,” Miller said.
These bugs don’t threaten human health or pets.
Miller suggests homeowners should consider other options before spraying pesticides, which could wipe out the beneficial, native bugs in yards and gardens. If you have only a few on your property, you can throw them in soapy water.
If you see a spotted lanternfly, you should take a picture, report it, then squash it. Miller said there’s no need to report if you are in a county with an established infestation. In Mid-Michigan, that’s only Jackson.
