{"id":91620,"date":"2026-02-16T21:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T00:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ces.einnews.com\/article\/892916056"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T00:43:50","slug":"invasive-spotted-lanternfly-confirmed-in-davidson-rowan-and-caswell-counties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/invasive-spotted-lanternfly-confirmed-in-davidson-rowan-and-caswell-counties\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive spotted lanternfly confirmed in Davidson, Rowan and Caswell counties"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This brings the total number of North Carolina counties with established populations to seven.<\/p>\n

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DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. \u2014 The invasive spotted lanternfly, a destructive insect that feeds on fruit trees, grapes and more than 100 other plants, has been found in Davidson, Rowan and Caswell counties, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This brings the total number of North Carolina counties with established populations to seven.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Officials found breeding populations along the I-85 and I-285 corridors in Davidson County and as far south as Salisbury in Rowan County. These likely came from infestations in Forsyth and Guilford counties. In Caswell County, lanternflies were spotted in Pelham, which connects to infestations in Danville, Virginia, as well as Reidsville and Winston-Salem.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cNCDA&CS has increased statewide checks since the pest first appeared in Kernersville in 2022,\u201d said Dr. Bill Foote, director of the Plant Industry Division. \u201cThat led to new findings in Caldwell and Rockingham counties in spring 2025, and now Caswell, Davidson and Rowan.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The spotted lanternfly spreads quickly because it has few natural predators in the U.S. It often travels on vehicles, trailers, and outdoor equipment. Its eggs, laid in autumn, survive winter and hatch in spring, sometimes in new locations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cThis pest is a serious threat to North Carolina\u2019s grape and wine industries,\u201d Foote said. \u201cIt can also damage fruit trees, maples and other common plants, and large populations become a nuisance quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Residents can help stop the spread. \u201cSpotted lanternflies like to feed in treetops but can land on vehicles,\u201d said Amy Michael, entomological programs manager. \u201cCheck yourself, your car or truck, and equipment for insects or egg masses. Removing them now can save a lot of problems later.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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NCDA&CS is treating infested areas from April through October, prioritizing commercial properties and lots under development. Surveys will continue year-round to find any new populations. Residents seeking advice should contact their local Cooperative Extension Office at https:\/\/www.ces.ncsu.edu\/local-county-center\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Anyone who sees a spotted lanternfly or egg mass in North Carolina should report it with a photo at https:\/\/www.ncagr.gov\/SLF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer<\/span> Services said.\u00c2\u00a0 This brings the … at https://www.ces<\/span>.ncsu.edu/local-county …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91620\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}