Search Site   
Current News Stories
2025 Michigan, Ontario winter wheat winners are announced
Winter tree identification clinic set for Crown Hill Cemetery Dec. 17
Wilmington College expands their facility with the help of BrightFarms
Iowa State scientists working with plant breeders to improve crop performance
New pollution laws for CAFOs go into effect in Michigan
Love of farm periodicals goes back to high school
Bids flowed for Michigan on-farm brewery gear
Licking County 4-H youth development educator honored for 25 years of service
Washington state resident infected with a different type of bird flu
Higher cow inventories credited for increased milk production
Camryn Manion communications director for Kentucky farm groups
   
News Articles
Search News  
   
Spotted lanternfly found in Iowa
 
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State officials are asking residents to keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly after recently confirming the finding of two of the invasive insects in central Iowa.
As a young nymph, it is a black weevil-like bug with white spots but adds patches of bright red as it develops into a flying insect. It’s native to China, India and Vietnam, and was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania in 2014, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It has since been confirmed in 11 states and threatens the country’s grape, orchard, nursery and logging industries.
The state ag department was notified recently of the presence of two immature spotted lanternflies in Dallas County, and federal identification confirmed them. Nearby areas surveyed have not resulted in signs of an ongoing infestation, the department said.
The insects tend to gather in large numbers on host plants and feed on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees. Spotted lanternfly prefer grapes, hops and a host of trees found in Iowa, including tree-of-heaven, apple, cherry, maple, oak, peach, pine, plum, poplar, sycamore, walnut and willow.
Anyone spotting the insect is asked to contact the department’s Entomology and Plant Science Bureau.

8/8/2022