CHESHIRE, Conn. — The “Spotted Lanternfly” has become something of a household name over the past few years.
The colorful winged bug was first reported in Pennsylvania in 2014, experts say it likely landed in the United States that same year. It originally came from eastern Asia, potentially from China or Korea as it is native to that area.
However, the Lanternfly is not native to the United States and rapidly infested Pennsylvania, taking over crops and becoming a swarming nuisance to outdoor furniture.
The bug has a unique way of spreading. Experts say it attaches itself and its egg mass to anything, including cars and trains. The Lanternfly has been found in large amounts in cities and towns along all major rail lines and interstates in 17 states as far south as North Carolina and west as Illinois.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Officials urging people to kill Spotted Lanternflies if they see one
That pest has now spread to Connecticut. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station received thousands of reports just in 2023 alone. The majority of the reports are in lower Fairfield County, close to New York City, but have been reported in all eight Connecticut counties.
Besides being a nuisance, experts say this invasive species is a detriment to our vineyards, crops, and honeybees, causing a potentially massive economic impact on farmers.
FOX61 spoke with those who would be impacted most about the fears they have for the future.
Connecticut Beekeeping Association President Bill Hesbach told FOX61 that the Spotted Lanternfly is a huge concern for him and his organization.
He has about 300,000 bees in 17 colonies on a hillside in Cheshire. These Western Honeybee colonies are primarily used for teaching and studying, but Hesbach also farms their honey to sell. Last year, he said he sold around 400 pounds of honey.
As we move into the summer of 2024, a threat looms over Bill’s “Wing Dance Apiary.”
Experts say the Spotted Lanternfly excretes honeydew, creating a slippery mess on porches and flowers that is attractive to bees. Once the bees pick it up, they treat the dew like pollen, eventually using it to create honey with an altered chemistry.
“It’s detrimental to the taste of the honey, it gives it a malty flavor almost like malt liquor. The flavor doesn’t have the typical floral notes that we go after, it’s bitter,” Hesbach said.
State Entomologist Victoria Smith is tasked with studying the bug at the Experiment Station in New Haven. She said at this time it hasn’t fully infested our state, but the signs are already there that it will soon.
“Last year, we had somewhere around 9,000 reports and sightings of the bug, and that will likely increase this year,” Smith said.
They aren’t native to the United States. The Lanternfly has no natural predators, and experts say an infestation is inevitable due to their unique way of migrating.
“We suspect by the end of this year we will have a significant population in all eight counties,” Smith said.
Hesbach tells us once the damage is done to that specific contaminated comb of honey, there is nothing that can reverse it. He tells us this is a scary thought for those who have solely invested their lives in the bee business.
“I don’t think that product that tastes or looks like that would be accepted in the marketplace,” Hesbach said. “We retail to big grocery stores like Big Y, people would be upset to not get what they expect. We have to trash it all instead.”
This is where you in the public come in, even if you don’t depend on honey sales or have bees of your own, experts recommend killing the Spotted Lanternfly and then report the sighting to the state through this online portal.
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Brooke Griffin is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at bgriffin@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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