N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Plant Industry Division has received numerous reports of potential Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) finds in our state over the past year and although some of the images sent to them did contain a live SLF life stage, our investigation and follow up surveys have not found any established populations.
However, the increasing spread of SLF in Virginia has us especially concerned that the pest may have hitchhiked to North Carolina this summer. Finding and reacting immediately to SLF will be the only chance we have at control, so we are relying heavily on N.C. Cooperative Extension to help spread the word to Master Gardener℠ volunteers and citizens to be on the lookout and report any potential SLF sightings at badbug@ncagr.gov.
