November 11, 2024
Online resource hub for spotted lanternfly
Available in various electronic formats, the visual poster shows the various life stages of this invasive pest that could be devastating for Canada’s wine, nursery, fruit and forest industries.
Since its discovery in Berks County, Penn., in 2014, spotted lanternfly has spread through the northeastern U.S. and is now present in states bordering Ontario such as New York, Michigan and Ohio. While there are currently no known established populations in Ontario, there have been some isolated on-off sightings and interceptions of the pest within the province.
The poster encourages people to be on the lookout for the large invasive planthopper on a wide range of plants, including “Tree-of-Heaven” and other preferred host plants such as grapes, hops, and hardwood trees. Vehicles and shipments arriving from the northeastern U.S. should be inspected thoroughly as this pest is an excellent hitchhiker.
Since the pest is quite jumpy, officials suggest first snapping a picture of it, then trying to catch or squish the bug, followed by reporting directly to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Online resource hub
Landscape Ontario has also created an online resource hub containing various materials and information to educate the landscaping community about this potential threat and to help them to identify and report any potential sightings.The poster and resources available online at HortTrades.com/spotted-lanternfly include:
- Basic information: what it is; where it is commonly found.
- Pest identification card developed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (including reporting information).
- Printable pest alert poster illustrating the various lifecycle stages (developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness).
- Guidelines for reporting possible sightings.
- Reporting and reminders for those in the nursery production sector.
- External links: CFIA information page, Invasive Species Centre, PennState Extension, and more.