The return nobody asked for is back, but there is good news with the return of the spotted lanternfly in 2025.
After a steep decline in sightings last year, compared to 2023, the PA Department of Agriculture says they expect that trend to continue this year.
There were 2,026 official sightings of the invasive species last year in Allegheny County, compared to 20,131 in 2023.
While the population will continue to decline, don’t expect the lanternfly to disappear completely any time soon.
While it’s not known for certain what 2025 will bring with the lanternfly, Shannon Powers with the Department of Agriculture says their experts say, “they’re reporting that lanternflies seemed to have peaked in 2023 and they’re slowly declining.”
Right now, in late June - early July, the lanternflies are in the nymph stage.
They’re small and black, with white spots. They’ll mature into adults as summer wraps up and into the fall.
As always, the best thing you can do is squish a lanternfly, no matter what stage it is in when you see one.
There are also spotted lanternfly sprays and other items you can find at your local hardware store.
“Pro tip, come at them from the front . . . they only fly and hop straight forward,” said Powers.
Spotted lanternflies can do a lot of crop damage especially along grape vines.
Powers says it's important to remember that the lanternflies spread primarily by hitchhiking on and in vehicles, so look before you leave an area with lanternflies, so you don’t take them to a new home.
As for a reason for the sharp drop in population, Powers says there are many reasons, including people know what to look for now when it comes to lanternfly eggs.