Every year, the invasive pest is found in more and more of Ohio — including five new counties just in 2025. By Annie Nickoloff
The big, fluttering, red-tinged wings of spotted lanternflies are already appearing in Cleveland — and soon the city will see much more of the invasive creature as nymphs transform into their adult stages and take to the skies.
“Right now, I think we’re seeing a mix of the nymphs and the adults, depending on where you are in the state,” says Ohio Department of Agriculture Inspection Manager Jonathan Shields, “but in the Cleveland area, I’d say you probably have a mix of those late, red and black nymphs, and the adults. But they haven’t begun to lay their egg masses yet.”…