Virginia: The Old Dominion

It’s been three years since the spotted lanternfly popped up at Bluemont and other vineyards across Loudoun County and Northern Virginia. The invasive insect had already devastated other areas of the country. Winemakers in the D.C. region are increasingly concerned about what the insects could do to their vineyards.

The spotted lanternfly’s landfall in the United States can be traced back to a shipment of stone from China that arrived in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014, according to experts. The insect goes through a single life cycle — going from eggs to nymphs to adults — in a single year. Despite being non-native, the lanternfly can feast on more than 70 plant species in the Mid-Atlantic region in the nymph stage, propagating large numbers. As adults, lanternflies love to feed on grapevines