The bad news is the spotted lanternfly – an invasive insect with an appetite for grape and hop plants – has arrived in the Mahoning Valley. The good news is the pest is easily controlled and poses no major threat to the region’s wine and beer industries.
The bug with the colorful markings arrived in the United States in 2014, getting its first foothold in southeastern Pennsylvania. A native of China, India, and Vietnam, it likely hitched a ride on a cargo freighter that docked in Philadelphia.
It has spread since then, establishing populations along the East Coast and in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. Its first appearance in Mahoning County was announced in early August by the state agriculture department. Infestations already existed in the Columbus, Cleveland, Sandusky, Cincinnati, Zanesville, and Toledo areas.
The insect is a planthopper and not much of a flyer. But it’s an effective hitchhiker that can hang on to a fast-moving truck or train for long distances. Its infestations in Ohio and elsewhere are almost always in the vicinity of truck stops or along rail lines.
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