Spotted Lanternflies Detected in New York's Finger Lakes Region

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced on July 23 that it has detected spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the grape-growing region of the Finger Lakes. Department inspectors from the Division of Plant Industry confirmed the presence of SLF in Romulus following reports it received from its partners at the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program at Cornell University. To help the Department identify the extent of the established population in the area, the Department is urging grape growers and residents to report any sightings by visiting agriculture.ny.gov/reportslf.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “We have been working with our partners for years to contain SLF and slow the spread of this invasive species. With this new detection, we are certainly concerned as SLF is known to feed on plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy, such as grapevine, which is abundant in this area of the Finger Lakes. However, we are also optimistic that through education, a number of control methods, and with the public’s help, we will be able to manage SLF and mitigate the impact to the grape growing industry.”

SLF was reported in New York on Staten Island in 2020.

Source: https://agriculture.ny.gov/