Spotted Lanternfly in Rochester, NY: What Homeowners Should Watch For

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive planthopper from Asia that has been spreading across the Northeast since it was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, per Penn State Extension. New York now has known infestations, and NYS DEC describes it as widespread in parts of the state including the Finger Lakes and Western New York regions. Closer to home, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County announced in November 2023 that small, isolated populations had been found in the Town of Greece near Routes 104 and 390, the first confirmed breeding population in Monroe County, and that NYS Agriculture and Markets was assessing the situation. For Rochester homeowners, the smart move now is recognition, not panic. Learn what the egg masses and nymphs look like. Understand the tree-of-heaven connection. Report anything suspicious to the people tracking its spread.

What is spotted lanternfly and why does it matter here?

Spotted lanternfly is a sap-feeding insect that punctures the bark and stems of trees and vines to drink sap. It does not bite people or pets, and it rarely kills mature trees outright. The damage is more indirect: heavy feeding stresses plants, and the insect excretes large volumes of a sugary waste called honeydew. That honeydew coats leaves, branches, decks, and patio furniture, then grows a black fungus called sooty mold.

The economic concern in New York centers on grapes, hops, and orchard crops, which makes the Finger Lakes wine and fruit region a sensitive area. For a typical Monroe County yard, the lanternfly is more nuisance and stress factor than tree-killer, but it is still a regulated invasive that the state wants tracked and contained.

How do you identify spotted lanternfly egg masses?

Egg masses are the life stage homeowners are most likely to encounter in fall, winter, and early spring, and they are the easiest stage to destroy. A fresh egg mass looks like a smear of gray-brown mud roughly an inch long, often described as resembling a splotch of putty or cracked clay. Older masses lose the coating and reveal rows of brownish, seed-like eggs lined up in columns.

Look for egg masses on:

• Tree trunks and the undersides of branches
• Smooth-barked plants and tree-of-heaven in particular
• Stone, brick, and concrete surfaces
• Outdoor furniture, firewood, vehicles, trailers, and anything stored outside

Because the egg masses ride on hard surfaces, human movement of goods is a major spread route. That is why the insect tends to show up first along travel corridors and rail lines.

What do the nymphs and adults look like?

Young nymphs, seen in late spring and early summer, are black with bright white spots. As they mature through the summer, later-stage nymphs turn red with black and white markings. Adults appear in mid to late summer and are the showy stage: at rest the folded forewings are gray with black spots, and the hidden hindwings flash bright red, black, and white when the insect opens up or jumps.

Adults are strong jumpers and weak fliers, so you may notice them clustered on a trunk or hopping when disturbed rather than flying gracefully.

How is spotted lanternfly connected to tree of heaven?

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is itself an invasive species, and it is the spotted lanternfly's preferred host. Where you find dense stands of tree-of-heaven, you often find higher lanternfly pressure. Around Monroe County it colonizes disturbed ground fast: railroad corridors, expressway embankments along I-490 and I-590, vacant lots, and the scrubby edges of commercial parking areas are where it tends to take hold.

Learning to recognize tree-of-heaven on or near your property helps you predict and monitor lanternfly risk. Many integrated management programs pair targeted removal or treatment of tree-of-heaven with regular monitoring. Cutting Ailanthus without a plan can backfire, since it resprouts vigorously, so this is a case where an arborist's read pays off.

What does the homeowner actually see first?

In most yards, people notice the symptoms before they notice the insect. The first clue is often sticky honeydew and the black sooty mold that grows on it, the same visible signs that come with heavy aphid and scale infestations. If your patio furniture turns sticky in late summer and leaves and bark develop a sooty black film, that is your cue to look closer for the insect itself.

This overlap matters because honeydew and sooty mold are not unique to lanternfly. The same symptoms show up with other sap-feeders, which is covered in our guide to aphids, honeydew, and sooty mold in Rochester. Aphids are a routine nuisance you can often live with. A regulated invasive is not, and the state wants it caught early. So get the ID right before you decide what to do.

How do you report a spotted lanternfly sighting in New York?

If you believe you have found spotted lanternfly in the Rochester area, especially outside known infestation zones, reporting it helps the state track and slow its spread. New York State manages reporting through the Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The recommended steps are straightforward:

1. Take clear photos of the insect or egg mass, including something for scale.
2. Note the exact location, date, and what plant or surface it was on.
3. If you can safely collect a specimen, place it in a sealed bag or container with rubbing alcohol.
4. Submit your report through the NYS Ag and Markets spotted lanternfly reporting page (linked in Sources), which routes sightings to the state's survey program; DEC also takes reports.

Scrape and destroy any egg masses you can reach by smearing them into a bag of hand sanitizer or alcohol, or into a container of hot, soapy water. New detections outside known zones are the ones the state most wants to hear about, since a quick report can mean the difference between a contained spot and an established population.

When should you call an arborist?

A single hopper on a fence post is not an emergency. But persistent honeydew, sooty mold across multiple trees, visible egg masses, or tree-of-heaven thickets near valued plantings are all reasons to get a professional eye on the property. An ISA Certified Arborist can confirm the pest, distinguish lanternfly damage from look-alike sap-feeder problems, and design a monitoring and treatment plan that fits state guidance.

This is the same judgment call covered in our piece on when to call an arborist for tree insects in Rochester. And lanternfly is not the only invasive worth watching here: the emerald ash borer situation in Monroe County is a reminder that early professional diagnosis often decides whether a tree can be saved or has to come down.

Corrected October 7, 2026: this article first described spotted lanternfly as still moving toward the Rochester area. A small, isolated breeding population was confirmed in the Town of Greece, Monroe County, in November 2023, and the article now says so.

FAQ

Is spotted lanternfly in Rochester or Monroe County yet? Yes. In November 2023, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County announced the county's first confirmed breeding population: small, isolated populations in the Town of Greece near Routes 104 and 390, with NYS Agriculture and Markets assessing the situation. NYS DEC describes spotted lanternfly as widespread in parts of the state including the Finger Lakes and Western New York, so homeowners here should watch for it and report sightings. Check the current NYS DEC and Ag and Markets pages (linked in Sources) for the latest on your town.

Does spotted lanternfly kill trees? It rarely kills established trees outright. The bigger problems are plant stress from heavy feeding, abundant sticky honeydew, and the sooty mold that grows on it, plus serious risk to grapes and orchard crops in the Finger Lakes region.

Should I kill spotted lanternfly if I see one? Yes. New York guidance encourages residents to destroy spotted lanternfly and scrape egg masses where they find them, then report sightings. Crushing the insect or smearing egg masses into alcohol, hand sanitizer, or hot soapy water all work.

How do I tell lanternfly damage from aphid or scale damage? You often cannot by symptom alone, because all three produce honeydew and sooty mold. Look for the insect or its distinctive egg masses, and when in doubt, have an ISA Certified Arborist confirm the source before treating.

Sources

• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Spotted Lanternfly
• New York State Integrated Pest Management (Cornell), Spotted Lanternfly
• New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Spotted Lanternfly
• Penn State Extension, Spotted Lanternfly
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, Spotted Lanternfly
• Morning Ag Clips, Spotted Lanternfly Found in Monroe County (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County release, November 2023)
• WXXI News, Spotted lanternflies found in the Rochester area (November 3, 2023)
• Monster Tree Service of Rochester