NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee is one of several states monitoring the presence of an invasive insect.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is keeping a close watch on the spotted lanternfly — a spotted black and red insect that could be mistaken for a butterfly depending on its stage of life.

"The early instar nymphs are more the size of, like, a tick," entomologist Cindy Bilbrey said. "As the adults come out, they're going to be more mobile."

Researchers said the insect poses a threat to trees by sucking out nutrients. What the insects don't use comes out the other end in the form of a "honey dew" that's conducive to black, sooty mold. Field crews have been out across the Volunteer State to prevent the insects from spreading.

"They're scraping egg masses. We have some backpack vacuums that we [use to] suck up the nymphal stage as well as the adults. We also do some chemical treatment with Bifenthrin," Bilbrey told News 2. "They don't bite. They don't sting. They're not a threat to humans."

The first reported sighting was in Davidson County in Hermitage in 2023, then in Wilson County a few months later.

"A lot of folks don't send a picture. Without a picture, it's really hard for us to confirm or deny information that they're giving us," said Bilbrey. "They're not common across the state yet and we want to keep it that way."

You can follow this link to report a sighting.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/ag-dept-tracking-spotted-lanternflies/