FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) — Spotted lanternflies have established populations across Northeast Indiana and are continuing to spread across other parts of the state.
Nearly 250 reports of spotted lanternflies have come out of Huntington County – the most in the state of Indiana. Allen County has received over 50 reports of lanternfly sightings. Outside of Northeast Indiana, Switzerland County has seen the most reports with over 160 sightings.
In Allen County, over fifty sightings have been reported in areas near Electric Works, Parkview Field, and railyards in the New Haven area.
More recently, two new counties in Southeast Indiana (Dearborn and Ripley) have reported spotted lanternfly populations, along with one new Northwest Indiana county (Lake). In total, 17 counties have reported spotted lanternfly sightings across the Hoosier State.
“As it rests as an adult, it folds its wings back sort of in the shape of a tent. When it actually jumps and starts to fly, it reveals some underside wings that are red with black and white markings on them,” Vince Burkle explains. Burkle is the assistant director of the Indiana DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology…