SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — State agriculture officials are urging Sumner County residents to be on the lookout for the invasive spotted lanternfly after the county became one of six in Tennessee with a confirmed infestation.
According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Sumner County joined Davidson, Wilson, Hamilton, Jefferson and Sullivan counties where populations of the invasive insect have been confirmed. While the pest is not yet considered widely established across Tennessee, officials say new detections highlight the importance of monitoring and reporting potential sightings.
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper native to Asia, was first detected in the United States in 2014. It was first confirmed in Tennessee in 2023 in Davidson and Wilson counties before spreading to additional counties, including Sumner.
Although the insect prefers the invasive tree-of-heaven, it feeds on more than 70 different plant species, including grapevines, apple trees, hops, maple, walnut and poplar trees, as well as numerous ornamental trees and shrubs…