62 Nebraskaland • March 2022
MIXED BAG
Spotted
Lanternfl y (SLF)
made the news
last fall when an
adult specimen was
submitted as part of
a 4-H entomology
collection to the
Kansas State Fair. The specimen was collected in Colby,
Kansas, during the summer. Inspectors with the Kansas
Department of Agriculture went to the collection site to
visually check for an SLF infestation. No life stages of SLF
were found at the site or in the surrounding area, and it
remains unknown if the collected insect represents a lone
hitchhiker or indicates an early population. Surveying for
SLF in the area will continue in 2022.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture, in cooperation
with the USDA, has been conducting visual surveys and
inspecting nursery stock for SLF in the state for several years.
No SLF has been found in Nebraska to date.
SLF was fi rst found in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has
since spread throughout several eastern states. In 2021,
small populations were also confi rmed in Ohio and Indiana.
As with any exotic invasive pest, early detection is key to
eff ective control.
Winter is a good time to scout for SLF egg masses on trees,
outdoor furniture and vehicles. Inspect tree trunks, the under
sides of branches and horizontal surfaces near the ground. It
is especially important to check vehicles that have traveled
into or through infested areas last summer and fall. Look in
the wheel wells, behind spare tires and in all the nooks and
crannies where an insect can hide an egg mass.
Egg masses are a gray-brown
and about 1.5 inches in length. The
female lays approximately 40-60 eggs,
then covers them with a putty-like
substance. As this covering ages, it gets
lighter and cracks.
If you think you've found an SLF
egg mass, take pictures or collect a
specimen, and report your suspicions to
your NDA Entomology Inspector, or contact Julie Van Meter,
NDA entomology program manager/state entomologist at
402-471-6847 or Julie.vanmeter@nebraska.gov.
SPOTTED LANTERNFLY
UPDATE
By Julie Van Meter, State Entomologist,
Nebraska Department of Agriculture
