You’re Supposed to Step on Them: Spotted Lanternflies

  Anyone walking downtown or throughout several Cleveland suburbs can expect to cross paths with the spotted lanternfly. The insect is extremely recognizable. While resting, it is gray with black spots on its wings. When they take flight, their displayed wings boast a striking scarlet color. Below is some more information on the species and their impact on Ohio laws and regulations.  

  The Ohio Department of Agriculture has deemed the spotted lanternfly to be a “destructive and dangerously harmful pest,” and the insect has its own chapter of the Ohio Administrative Code (“OAC”) devoted to it: OAC Chapter 901:5-56. The term “spotted lanternfly” is in fact statutorily defined in OAC 901:5-56-02(G): "Spotted lanternfly" means the live insect, Lycorma delicatula, in any life stage (egg, nymph, adult). 

  Per the ODA’s information page on the invasive species, adult spotted lanternflies will be active from June until winter. During that time frame, they can cause extensive environmental harm by feeding “on sap from grapevines and other perennial and annual plants, resulting in wilting, dieback and sooty mold damage.” 

  Though their presence has been notable this year, the spotted lanternfly was first identified in Ohio in 2020. As of August 2025, the spotted lanternfly had a confirmed and established population in 18 Ohio counties including, not surprisingly, Cuyahoga County. By declaration of the ODA and codification in the OAC, these counties are considered under quarantine to minimize the risk of further lanternfly proliferation.  

  The quarantine was first announced in October 2021. In establishing the quarantine, OAC Chapter 901:5-56-01(B) prohibits the transportation of “regulated articles” from regulated areas to non-regulated areas. 

  The spotted lanternfly itself is a regulated article, meaning that it cannot be transported from a regulated area to a non-regulated area. Other regulated articles include “plants and plant parts, which include, but are not limited to, live or dead trees, nursery stock, firewood, logs, perennial plants, garden plants, agricultural produce, stumps, [and] branches.”  

  These regulations are designed to restrict the movement of both the insect itself and any plants or other objects by which the spotted lanternfly might be conveyed from one area to another. 

  We can expect to see spotted lanternflies until winter this year, and we’ll likely see them next year as well. Though stepping on them is easier said than done, our individual efforts help regulate the spread of an invasive species that poses serious risks to plant life as well as the plant nursery and timber industries.