Inspectors are spread out across the state, tracking the spread of the spotted lanternfly.
Chris Logue, the Director of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Plant Industry, said the insect can wreak havoc on agriculture, including apples, grapes and maple. And they're excellent hitchhikers.
"The eggs which are laid in the fall of the year and go through the winter," said Logue. "Those are laid on all kinds of different materials, rusty metal, firewood, pallets, lawn furniture. It's an exhaustive list."
State officials say the lanternfly was first spotted in New York state on Staten Island in 2020, but has now been found in other areas, including Onondaga County.
Brian Eshenhaur from Cornell's Integrated Pest Management program said while the spotted lanternfly can cause crop damage and feed on more than 70 plant species, it is not a threat to people.
"They don't bite. They don't sting," he said. "They're harmless to most landscape trees, unless you happen to have a tree of heaven, which is a tree that is native to the locations where the spotted lanternfly is native to."
If community members see a spotted lanternfly in central New York counties, state officials are asking them to take a picture, collect a sample, and report the finding here.
