Field Report: A Spotted Lanternfly on a Hermitage Porch, and Where Our Pest Pros Are Seeing Them
Early Monday morning, Pest Pro Evan stepped onto his porch near Hermitage and found an insect he didn’t recognize. He snapped a photo and sent it to our team with a simple question: “What is this? It looks pretty cool.” Within minutes, Pest Pro Jimmy had the answer. It was a spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect Tennessee asks everyone to watch for.
Field Report at a glance
| Where | Near Hermitage, Nashville (Davidson County), plus a second sighting near Mt. Juliet (Wilson County) |
| Pest Pros | Evan, Jimmy and Troy |
| The find | One adult spotted lanternfly, found dead on a porch |
| Also seen | In a ravine across Lebanon Road from Willoughby Station in Mt. Juliet |
| What we did | Reported the find to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture |
| What to do | Photograph it, note the location, report it to the state, then destroy it |
What Evan found
The lanternfly was already dead when Evan spotted it on his porch, so he picked it up for a closer look. With its wings spread, the bright red hind wings and black spots stood out. That’s exactly why he sent the photo.
Pest Pro Jimmy, who has 10 years of experience and a degree in environmental science, recognized it right away. When our team asked whether Evan had seen more, he said this was the only one. It’s a single find, but in the right place to pay attention to. We reported Evan’s find to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
A second sighting near Mt. Juliet
When Evan’s photo went around our team, Pest Pro Troy chimed in. He has also seen spotted lanternflies in one section of a ravine across Lebanon Road from Willoughby Station in Mt. Juliet. The customer there had already reported them to the state.
Both spots are in the same corner of Middle Tennessee. Davidson and Wilson counties are where the state first confirmed spotted lanternflies in 2023.
How to recognize a spotted lanternfly
Adult spotted lanternflies are about an inch long. At rest, their wings are grayish tan with black spots. When they open their wings or fly, you’ll see bright red hind wings with black spots and a white band.
Despite the name, they aren’t true flies, and they aren’t strong flyers. They hop and glide more than they fly.
The young ones look different. Early nymphs are black with white spots, and older nymphs turn red with black and white markings.
Why Tennessee wants to know
The spotted lanternfly is native to Asia. It feeds on grapevines, fruit trees and hardwoods, and its favorite host is the tree of heaven, another invasive species.
The concern is Tennessee’s vineyards, orchards and forests. State officials say fruit growers and wood products businesses could be especially vulnerable.
The good news: spotted lanternflies aren’t considered dangerous to people or pets. They don’t bite or sting.
Part of a bigger pattern: pests from Asia
If the spotted lanternfly sounds familiar, it should. It’s the latest in a line of insects from Asia that weren’t here when many of us were growing up.
- Brown marmorated stink bugs were first identified in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998. They reached Davidson County by 2012, and now they cover Tennessee homes every fall.
- Asian lady beetles were released by the USDA for decades to fight crop pests. The first established population showed up near New Orleans in 1988. They’re the “ladybugs” that pile into window frames every October.
- Kudzu bugs were first found in Georgia in 2009, and they followed kudzu right into Tennessee.
- Spotted lanternflies were first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, likely arriving as eggs on a shipment of stone from China. They reached Davidson and Wilson counties by 2023.
They share the same story. Each one hitchhiked into the country on trade, arrived without the natural enemies that control it back home, and found plants here it already knew. The lanternfly’s favorite tree, the tree of heaven, is itself an import from Asia that now grows along roadsides and rail lines.
Once they’re here, they spread the way we travel. Stink bugs ride on cars and trucks, and lanternflies lay eggs on vehicles, trailers and outdoor gear. With I-40, I-24 and I-65 all meeting in Nashville, a lot of freight moves through Middle Tennessee. That’s one reason the state asks everyone to check vehicles and trailers before traveling.
Why you might see one in October
Fall is egg-laying season. Females lay egg masses on trees and on almost any flat surface, including porches, siding, patio furniture, trailers and vehicles. That’s also how they spread long distances: egg masses hitch a ride on something that gets moved.
This morning we shared how Pest Pro Devin checked a suspicious cluster in Bell Buckle. If you find something that looks like dried mud on a flat surface, read how to tell a lanternfly egg mass from a moth cocoon.
Found one? Here’s what to do
- Take a clear photo and note exactly where you found it, including the town and county.
- Report it to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture through its Report a Pest form.
- Then destroy it. The state asks people to kill adults and to smash egg masses or douse them with rubbing alcohol.
- Check before you travel. Look over trailers, campers, firewood and outdoor gear before moving them.
- Not sure what you’ve got? Ask your Pest Pro. We’re always happy to take a look.
Our Pest Pros are watching
Our Pest Pros spend every day in yards, crawl spaces and on porches across Middle Tennessee, so they’re often the first to notice something new. Finds like Evan’s help us keep an eye on what’s showing up in our area, and we’ll keep sharing what we learn.
Have questions about a bug you found? Call 615.590.1260, and a real person in our local office will answer. Or schedule a free inspection.
FAQs
Has the spotted lanternfly been found in Nashville?
Yes. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture first confirmed spotted lanternflies in Davidson and Wilson counties in 2023. Our Pest Pros have recently seen them near Hermitage and Mt. Juliet.
Are spotted lanternflies dangerous to people or pets?
No. They don’t bite or sting. The concern is the damage they do to grapevines, fruit trees and hardwoods.
What should I do if I find a spotted lanternfly in Tennessee?
Take a photo, note the location and report it through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Report a Pest form. Then destroy it.
What does a spotted lanternfly look like?
Adults are about an inch long, with grayish tan, black-spotted wings at rest and bright red hind wings that show when they open their wings.
Why are so many invasive insects from Asia showing up in Tennessee?
Most arrived by hitchhiking on international shipments, then spread on vehicles and freight. Without their natural enemies, and with familiar host plants like kudzu and tree of heaven already here, they spread quickly. Stink bugs, Asian lady beetles, kudzu bugs and spotted lanternflies all followed this pattern.
When are spotted lanternflies active in Tennessee?
Nymphs appear in spring and early summer, and adults in summer and fall. Females lay egg masses in the fall, and the eggs hatch the next spring.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Agriculture (identification, reporting and destroying); NewsChannel 9 (first Tennessee detections in Davidson and Wilson counties, not dangerous to people or animals); WPLN (tree of heaven, grapes and fruit growers); Cornell University (arrival on a stone shipment from China).
