Spotted Lanternfly Reported Distribution Map

These maps are provided so the distribution of the Spotted Lanternfly can be viewed on a regional basis. The county records are based on information supplied to us by individual states’ regulatory agencies. These maps are for informational purposes only. Please contact state officials directly when making policy decisions. These are county-based maps so although the map shows entire counties shaded, the actual infestation may only encompass a small portion of that county.

Where are they now?

Every effort is made to keep this map up-to-date. For questions regarding the map and new populations please contact New York State Integrated Pest Management at IPMforSLF [at] cornell.edu (IPMforSLF[at]cornell[dot]edu). General questions or concerns regarding the Spotted Lanternfly, can also be sent here.

Funding by New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, and the Northeastern IPM Center.

How did spotted lanternfly get here?

For Comparison
Spotted lanternfly was introduced to South Korea (approximately the size of Pennsylvania) in 2004 and spread throughout the country in just three years.

Spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, an invasive planthopper native to China, is thought to have arrived as egg masses on a stone shipment in 2012. That first infestation was found in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014 in a wooded area of Ailanthus altissima, or Tree of Heaven. Despite a quarantine of the townships involved, and efforts to eradicate this pest, spotted lanternfly has proved difficult to contain and now includes infestations and sightings in several states. Quarantine efforts have been moderately effective in slowing its spread.

Timeline sightings, infestations, and quarantines

  • 2014: Initial infestation found in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Thought to have arrived on a stone shipment in 2012.
  • 2017: A dead adult Spotted lanternfly became the first New York sighting in Delaware County.
  • 2018: Spotted lanternfly adults or egg masses found in NY in Albany, Chemung, Kings (Brooklyn), Monroe, Suffolk, Westchester, and Yates Counties — all thought to be hitchhikers; no populations found at this time.
  • 2020: In New York State populations were found in Staten Island, and Ithaca, NY. 
  • 2021: Populations expanded in the NY City region, Long Island, the lower Hudson Valley and a new population was discovered near Binghamton NY.  Infestations were also detected in two new states, Massachusetts and Indiana.