WHEELING — Ohio Valley residents’ eyes aren’t deceiving them. They’re seeing more spotted lanternflies than ever before. The invasive insect with the distinct markings are being found throughout the region — and that’s bad news for plenty of its plant life.

The spotted lanternfly, native to Vietnam, India and China, was found in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014 and started spreading outward. It was first seen in West Virginia in 2019 in Berkeley County in the Eastern Panhandle. The insect, known for its gray, spotted wings and red body, then headed west, embedding in north central West Virginia and the Northern Panhandle, as well as eastern Ohio.

According to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, the spotted lanternfly can be found in Hancock, Brooke, Ohio and Marshall counties

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