Spotted Lanternfly Reaches New Hampshire

Spotted lanternfly has turned up in New Hampshire for the first time. In late August 2026 the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food confirmed a small number of the insects in the town of Salem, near the Massachusetts line. It is the first time the pest has been found in the field in the state.

State officials were careful to say the find does not mean the bug has settled in. The department said there is “no evidence of an established population at this time,” and that survey teams will keep watching the area. Neighboring Vermont also reports no known established population.

The detection fits a pattern that has played out for more than a decade. Since the insect was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, it has spread to 19 states plus Washington, D.C., according to New Hampshire Public Radio, reaching as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as the Carolinas. Reporting on the Salem find noted that milder New England winters are weakening the cold barrier that used to slow pests like this one.

The spread is not limited to the north. In February 2026 the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirmed established populations in Davidson, Rowan and Caswell counties, bringing that state to seven counties with breeding populations. North Carolina officials traced some of the spread along interstate and highway corridors, a reminder that the insect is a hitchhiker. Adults and egg masses ride on vehicles, trailers, firewood and outdoor equipment.

Spotted lanternfly feeds on more than 100 plant species, and growers worry most about grapes and maples. Its favorite host is tree of heaven, an invasive tree already common across much of the Northeast. Heavy feeding leaves honeydew on decks, cars and siding, which grows black sooty mold and draws stinging insects. That nuisance side is often what drives a homeowner to call a pest control company.

Both states are asking the public to kill any lanternflies they see and report them. New Hampshire takes reports through NHBugs.org, and North Carolina has an online reporting tool through its agriculture department. Coverage of the New Hampshire find noted that populations respond to insecticides, and that scraping egg masses and vacuuming nymphs can also help, along with removing tree of heaven.

For companies working along the leading edge of the spread, the first sightings are often reported by customers who do not know what they are looking at. A fall adult on a patio or a mud-colored egg mass on a grill cover can be the first clue in a new town.