Invasive Fly Species Spotted In Norwood

Norwood MA

22 September, 2020

1:07 PM

Description

NORWOOD, MA — An invasive fly species was spotted in Norwood and officials are asking residents to stay alert and report any more sightings. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources recently confirmed a sighting of the invasive insect known as Spotted Lanternfly in Norwood. The good news is MDAR's initial investigations didn't find any evidence that SLF has become established in Norwood. The Spotted Lanternfly can easily hitchhike on vehicles or shipments of materials, either as an adult or in egg masses, and MDAR was able to trace the insect back to a state where SLF has already been found. Surveys are planned in the area where the insect was found. Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive sap-feeding insect from Asia that was first found in the United States in 2014, in the state of Pennsylvania. While the main host plant of this pest is tree-of-heaven, Spotted Lanternfly attacks a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines, and has the potential to impact a broad range of agricultural commodities, including apples, peaches, grapes/wine, and maple syrup. Residents are asked to report any possible sightings of this pest to MDAR and at [email protected].