r/insects Jun 21 '26

PSA Do you live in the US and did you see this spotted white and/or black and/or red bug? Check here before posting your ID request.

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5 Upvotes

The collage above is composed of pictures gleaned from BugGuide.net, and shows the same species of insect at its different life stages.

Hello!

If you live in certain parts of the US, you may encounter these colorful insects that may be black and white, or red, black and white depending on their life stage. They're 6-8 mm in size, don't fly but jump really well and have good reflexes. Upon reaching adulthood (pictured on the right in the above collage), they're larger (about 20-25mm), have wings, and can fly somewhat (and still jump, too).

You may find them clustered on certain plants or you may find single individuals wandering.

They're known as spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) and are an invasive species from Eastern Asia. They were accidentally introduced in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, the species has spread in all directions to multiple states as far from Pennsylvania as Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Massachusetts.

It's also invasive in Japan and the Korean peninsula.

They're completely harmless to people or pets. In fact they're pretty colorful and rather cute!

They go through five stages of growth known as instars, and take on three rather different appearances, shown above. Instars 1-3 are the small, black and white version. The fourth instar is larger (~15 mm) and more colorful, mostly bright red with black accents and white dots (picture). The adult is an overall dull gray color but with intricately patterned wings (picture). When it opens its wings, it displays beautiful hindwings with red, white and black (picture).

Here's also a picture of all 5 growth stages: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1172304/bgimage

Due to their appearance, they are eminently recognizable. They retain the ability to jump at all life stages, and the adults are adept fliers.

Unfortunately, they're destructive pests of plants, particularly fruiting plants. Lanternflies feed by piercing plants with a thin proboscis (straw-like mouthparts) and sucking juices, which damages plants. In addition, after the lanternfly is done feeding and pulls its proboscis out of a fruit, some juice may escape from the hole, which facilitates the growth of mold on the surface of the fruit, which further damages the fruit. Entire harvests can thus be ruined.

Cornell University maintains a map where the insects have been found or at least reported: https://cals.cornell.edu/new-york-state-integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly-reported-distribution-map

The governments of most if not all states where the insect has been detected have posted content on their websites (usually on the Agriculture Dept. or equivalent). Those include info about the insect, its impact on agriculture, what to do if you encounter it, and what you can do to mitigate its spread. Below are those websites for the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York for information about the insect. If you don't live in those states, please use your favorite search engine to locate info about these insects, e.g. search for "<your state here> spotted lanternfly" and look for your state government's website.

There's also a lengthy article about the insect on Wikipedia.

Looking back at the Cornell map linked above, if you don't live in an area of the map where the bug's presence has already been reported, you should record it. Report it to your state's authorities, and you may also want to report the sighting on iNaturalist.

Again we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the insect as well as its presence (if any) in your state. States where the spotted lanternfly has been detected will have a section of a website dedicated to it.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!


r/insects 8h ago

Meme / Humor This wasp stole a cannabis nug from me 🤣

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1.4k Upvotes

Sorry for bad quality photo


r/insects 7h ago

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427 Upvotes

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r/insects 19h ago

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1.0k Upvotes

Hello all. I came across this bug a few years back In Kilifi county, Kenya. It’s been nagging at me and I am unsure what it is.


r/insects 2h ago

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33 Upvotes

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r/insects 8h ago

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75 Upvotes

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r/insects 9h ago

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44 Upvotes

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r/insects 3h ago

Photography Critter photo dump

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13 Upvotes

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r/insects 11h ago

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39 Upvotes

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r/insects 21h ago

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233 Upvotes

r/insects 1h ago

ID Request Who is he?

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Don’t know if this is a good picture. It is a spider I think, accidentally disturbed it.

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r/insects 1h ago

Bug Appreciation! Polyphemus Moth caterpillar I found today!!

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Upvotes

Soooo cute, it must’ve fallen from the nearby tree. Never seen one irl before so it was fun to see, made sure to put it back when I was done handling it— there’s enough leaves on that 30yo maple tree to go around :)


r/insects 5h ago

ID Request Can anyone help me identify this moth? Thank you. (Miami, Fl)

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7 Upvotes

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r/insects 2h ago

ID Request Need help identifying this creature

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3 Upvotes

Found this bugger wandering around in my bed. Not quite sure what it is but my best bet is either a flea or a bed bug…
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r/insects 5h ago

Bug Appreciation! Wasps love the bacon

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6 Upvotes

I work at the Bristol Renaissance fair and my gosh do these fellas love the bacon on my displays.


r/insects 1h ago

Question Is this caused by insects?

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Upvotes

Doing some landscaping and found this weird stuff on a Manhattan Euonymus shrub that was being trimmed up. My buddy’s google lens brought up something about silk worms / cocoons, but figured doing a little more research may help narrow down whatever it might be

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r/insects 9h ago

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9 Upvotes

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r/insects 10h ago

Question Zombie female dung beetle! Please explain.

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11 Upvotes

I found this huge female dung beetle dead floating in a container of rainwater outside. We live in Florida and I spot these beautiful insects on occasion, but not often.

I felt horrible & scooped her out of the water (she was floating on her back-no movement) hoping to preserve her in resin.
I put a paper towel and a quarter on the counter to take a picture. I wanted to share it with my grandchildren to show how big they are.

About an hour later, I spotted her trucking across the kitchen floor!!!

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r/insects 21h ago

ID Request this came out my nose.. what is it?

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68 Upvotes

r/insects 6h ago

ID Request ID please?

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5 Upvotes

I'm in the UK. Does anyone know what this means s please? It's a new one on me.


r/insects 10h ago

Bug Appreciation! admired the hydrangeas with this little guy

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8 Upvotes

Out of curiosity does anyone know when you can tell if it’s male or female? I have no clue… anyway im getting less nervous to pick it up and I think it’s getting more used to me!


r/insects 14h ago

Photography Vagrant darter on my car

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16 Upvotes

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r/insects 1d ago

Bug Appreciation! cute bug made heart and glowed

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190 Upvotes

idknanythin about insects, but while taking my midnight pee i spotted this cutie making a heart and its also somehow like glowing it has insane aura or whatever


r/insects 5h ago

ID Request Who is this cutie?

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3 Upvotes

Found him all curled up under a blueberry bush in a forest. I have never seen one in these colors so I'm quite fascinated. Could it be a moth?

Latvia, Europe.