Spotted Lanternfly That Feed On Grapevines, Apple Trees In Finger Lakes

Albany, N.Y. - State Department of Agriculture and Markets says they have detected the Spotted Lanternfly in the grape-growing region of the Finger Lakes. Department inspectors confirmed the presence in Romulus. This raises concerns as they are known to feed on plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy, such as grapevines, apple trees and hops. If you see them you should report it and kill them

To help the Department identify the extent of the established population in the area, the Department is urging grape growers and residents to report any sightings by visiting agriculture.ny.gov/reportslf.

They also encourage grape growers and residents to report any sightings to the Department by following theses steps:

• Take a photo
• Collect a sample and place it in a freezer or in a jar with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer,
• Contact the SLF responders and report SLF directly at agriculture.ny.gov/reportslf, and
• After reporting SLF in your area and collecting a sample, kill any additional SLF you see by stepping on it or crushing it.

You can learn more at the Department’s website at https://agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.