‘Destructive’ butterfly-like insect found dead in shipment in Oregon, officials say

A dead destructive butterfly-like insect was spotted in Oregon for the first time, officials said.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture said Thursday that a dead spotted lanternfly was found in a package of planters and pots sent to Oregon from Pennsylvania.

“Recently, a nursery in the Corvallis area found the dead female specimen and called the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program to report,” the Oregon Department of Agriculture said in the news release.

The spotted lanternfly can damage tree fruit and grape production, according to the ODA. It’s been reported as “a serious pest of grapevines in Korea.”

“Grapes used for wine are a high value crop in Oregon, valued at more than $238 million in 2019,” ODA said. “This invasive pest also prefers a broad range of more than 70 plant species including apples, cherry, chestnut, hops, maple, peaches, pear, pine, plum, poplar, oak, rose and walnut.”

The insect was spotted in North America for the first time in Pennsylvania in 2014. It likely arrived in stone shipments from China, ODA said.

The bug has since been found in 11 eastern states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. California has also found it dead in shipments.

“We cannot be everywhere; that is why it is so critical to have the support of our industry and all Oregonians in detecting invasive pests such as the spotted lanternfly before it becomes widespread,” Helmuth Rogg, ODA plant protection and conservation programs director, said in the news release. “The spotted lanternfly could become a serious pest here in the Pacific Northwest and we want to prevent it from coming to Oregon in the first place.”