How do you report a spotted lanternfly in Maryland?

You are loading up the car for a weekend camping trip, or maybe you are just walking out to grab the mail, and you notice a strange grey smear on your porch post that looks for all the world like a flick of dried mud from a lawnmower. Or perhaps you spot a weird, greyish bug with black spots resting quietly on the bark of your maple tree, only for it to flash a startling hit of bright crimson when you get close. If you are wondering how to report a spotted lanternfly in Maryland, you are looking at one of the state's most unwanted hitchhikers.

The short answer is that you log your sighting digitally through the online reporting tools provided by agricultural authorities, or you reach out directly to the Maryland Department of Agriculture and your local University of Maryland Extension office. Agricultural authorities rely heavily on these public reports to track where these insects are spreading.

Why all the fuss over a bug? It is not because they bite humans, since they lack the mouthparts or the venom to do anything of the sort. The real trouble is that these planthoppers feed on plant sap using needle-like mouthparts. When they swarm in large numbers, they drain the vigor right out of host plants. Worse yet, they excrete a sweet, sticky liquid called honeydew that coats everything underneath the tree, paving the way for a thick layer of black sooty mold that blocks out sunlight.

You might wonder if one little bug in your backyard really matters to anyone else. It does, because these creatures are quarantine pests. They hitch rides on shipping containers, vehicles, firewood, and outdoor furniture, spreading far beyond their original boundaries. In counties where populations are already well established, officials usually shift their focus toward enforcing quarantine rules for businesses, but in areas where they are just starting to show up, every single report helps map the front lines.

Before you report anything, you want to make sure you are not looking at a native moth or a different garden visitor. Spotted lanternfly adults usually measure about an inch in length. When they sit resting on a tree trunk, they hold their greyish or tan forewings in a tent-like shape over their backs, showing off black spots and net-like tips. If they jump or fly, you will usually catch that flash of bright red on their hindwings.

Life stages change depending on the time of year, so what you see will vary. From late spring through early summer, you might spot tiny wingless nymphs that are solid black with bright white spots. By late summer, those nymphs turn into a vibrant red and black pattern, still with white spots, before turning into full adults.

Then there are the egg masses, which usually appear from autumn through spring. A female lays dozens of eggs in parallel rows, then covers the whole batch in a grey, putty-like secretion that dulls and cracks over the winter until it looks just like dried mud. You usually find these stubborn little patches on tree bark, particularly on their favorite host, the Tree-of-heaven, as well as on stone walls, patio furniture, and the undersides of vehicles or trailers.

Once you have your sighting confirmed and you are ready to take action on your own property, you generally have to decide whether you are dealing with a few hitchhikers or a heavy infestation. If you find those muddy-looking egg masses on your firewood, your fence, or your car bumper, you can scrape them off yourself using a rigid tool like a putty knife or an old plastic card.

The trick is to scrape them directly into a sealable container filled with rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, or a soapy bleach solution, and let them sit submerged for at least two days to make sure they are completely destroyed. Whenever you tackle scraping eggs overhead, remember to put on safety goggles and gloves so you do not get any of that protective secretion in your eyes.

If you are a property owner with a massive population swarming high-value trees, or if you run a commercial nursery or transport business that needs to move goods out of a quarantine zone, you will usually need to look into official compliance agreements or hire certified professionals. For larger trees requiring specialized treatments, or for high-canopy egg removal that is out of reach, bringing in a licensed arborist or a certified commercial pesticide applicator is usually the most practical route.

There are moments when a casual backyard pest check turns into something that requires outside expertise or immediate intervention. If you operate a commercial freight business, a landscaping company, or a nursery shipping stock across state lines or out of a quarantined Maryland county, you must consult state plant protection officials to secure the proper transport permits and avoid heavy penalties.

For severe chemical applications on large commercial acreage or massive shade trees, always rely on certified commercial applicators who know how to apply products safely and according to the label directions. Never try to mix up homemade chemical cocktails using gasoline, kerosene, or random shop supplies, as these illegal sprays create extreme fire hazards and kill the very plants you are trying to protect.

On the health side, while these bugs do not bite people, accidents with pest control products can happen around the house. If anyone in your household accidentally ingests a pesticide or experiences an exposure reaction, contact the Poison Control Center immediately, or call 911 right away if there is any sign of severe medical distress.