If you’ve seen reports about the spotted lanternfly moving closer to Missouri, your concern is reasonable. The pest hasn’t established a breeding population here yet, but a confirmed hitchhiker detection in St. Louis County means Hazelwood and Maryland Heights homeowners should know what to watch for before that changes.

Key Takeaways

• Not established in Missouri yet. No breeding population has been confirmed, but a dead hitchhiker was found on a truck in St. Louis County in 2022.
• The nearest populations are close. Confirmed breeding populations now exist in Cook County, Illinois, plus parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
• Tree of heaven is the main draw. This invasive host plant already grows throughout Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, and Florissant, which is why local risk is rising.
• It’s harmless to people and pets – it doesn’t bite or sting. The real risk is to trees, gardens, and grapevines.
• Report every sighting. Email plantpest@mda.mo.gov or forest.health@mdc.mo.gov with a photo and location; don’t wait to see more.
• Don’t move infested materials. Egg masses on firewood, furniture, or vehicles are the main way this pest spreads long distances.
• When to call an arborist: if you find tree of heaven on your property, spot what looks like an active population, or notice unexplained sap weeping and honeydew on high-value trees.

Is the Spotted Lanternfly in Missouri Yet?

Not as an established, breeding population – but it’s already arrived here as a hitchhiker. In 2022, a trucking company in St. Louis County reported a dead spotted lanternfly found under the hood of a truck that had recently traveled through Pennsylvania. That’s exactly how this insect spreads: it doesn’t fly long distances on its own, but it lays egg masses on almost any hard, flat surface – truck panels, shipping pallets, patio furniture, firewood, even wheel wells – and rides along with people and freight.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s spotted lanternfly page confirms the insect has been detected in a growing list of states since it first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2014, and the nearest confirmed breeding populations are now creeping in from the east: Cook County, Illinois, had confirmed spotted lanternfly by 2023, with additional established populations in parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, spotted lanternfly is one of several pests Missouri is actively watching for, alongside emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle. Given how much freight moves through the St. Louis region, this looks like a matter of when local sightings increase, not if.

Why Hazelwood and Maryland Heights Should Pay Attention Now

A few local factors make this area worth watching closely.

Tree of heaven grows here. The spotted lanternfly’s preferred host plant, tree of heaven, is itself an aggressive invasive species already established throughout St. Louis County – along fence lines, rail corridors, and neglected lots in Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, and Florissant. Where the tree of heaven grows, spotted lanternfly populations tend to take hold fastest.

This is a freight and logistics corridor. Hazelwood sits near Lambert International Airport and several major distribution hubs, and spotted lanternfly egg masses have already been intercepted on freight moving through Missouri because of exactly this kind of traffic.

Mature landscapes are common. Older neighborhoods throughout Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Florissant, and nearby Creve Coeur have decades-old maples, oaks, and other shade trees. Spotted lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species, and while tree of heaven is preferred, maples and other hardwoods are also targets once populations grow large. A tree health and pest evaluation is the most reliable way to know what’s on your property before that happens.

How to Identify a Spotted Lanternfly

Spotted lanternfly changes appearance dramatically as it matures, which trips a lot of people up. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s field guide offers a detailed identification breakdown, summarized here:

• Egg masses (fall through spring): Gray, waxy, putty-like smears about an inch long, often mistaken for dried mud. Usually found on tree trunks, fence posts, outdoor furniture, or vehicles.
• Early nymphs (spring): About a quarter-inch long, black with bright white spots. They look almost nothing like the adult.
• Late nymphs (early summer): Similar shape, but developing red patches mixed with the black and white.
• Adults (July through December): About an inch long, with gray-tan forewings marked in black spots. When the wings open, the hindwings show bright red and black patterning with a white band – the field mark most people recognize from photos.

Spotted lanternflies don’t bite or sting, and they’re not a danger to people or pets. The damage is to plants: they pierce stems and feed on sap, then excrete a sticky substance called honeydew that coats leaves, patios, and cars below and encourages sooty mold growth. Heavy, sustained infestations can severely weaken host trees and grapevines, reducing vigor and increasing stress. Healthy, mature trees rarely die from spotted lanternfly feeding alone, but repeated infestations – especially combined with drought, disease, or other stressors – can contribute to real decline.

What We Commonly See In The Field

Working on trees throughout St. Louis and St. Charles counties, we’ve watched several invasive pests arrive in stages – first as isolated hitchhiker reports, then as scattered sightings, then as an established population that changes how we manage local trees. Emerald ash borer followed that exact pattern here, and it’s part of why we take early detection seriously rather than treating it as a distant problem. If you’re curious how that played out, our guide to emerald ash borer signs walks through it.

We also regularly find tree of heaven growing unnoticed on residential properties, often mistaken for sumac or black walnut saplings, especially along back fence lines and in areas that don’t get regular mowing or clearing. Homeowners are frequently surprised to learn they have several mature specimens on their property. Since this is the preferred host for spotted lanternfly, knowing whether you have it is one of the most useful things you can check right now, before it becomes urgent.

What to Do If You Find One

Take a photo first. Get a clear image showing the wing pattern if you can, along with the general size and coloring.

Try to collect it, if it’s safe to do so. A single insect in a jar or sealed bag is useful for confirmation.

Report it immediately. Missouri has not confirmed an established population yet, which makes every sighting significant for tracking the invasion front. Report to:

• Missouri Department of Agriculture: plantpest@mda.mo.gov or 573-751-9334
• Missouri Department of Conservation: forest.health@mdc.mo.gov

Note the exact location. An address or cross streets helps state agencies prioritize inspection.

Check hard surfaces for egg masses, especially from October through May. Look at tree bark, the underside of patio furniture, fence posts, firewood stacks, and vehicle wheel wells. If you find a suspected egg mass, scrape it into a container with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer rather than just knocking it to the ground – the eggs can survive that.

What Not to Do

Don’t spray broad-spectrum insecticide preventively on trees that show no signs of activity. It’s not effective against a pest that isn’t established here yet, and it can harm beneficial insects and pollinators in the meantime.

Don’t assume every red-and-black or spotted insect you see is a spotted lanternfly. Missouri has several native look-alikes, including certain planthoppers, moths, and true bugs with similar coloring. When in doubt, a photo report lets state entomologists make the call – a better outcome than removing a beneficial native species by mistake.

Don’t move firewood, patio furniture, or vehicles that have visible egg masses without treating them first. Egg masses are exactly how this pest spreads long distances.

When to Call a Professional

Most homeowners don’t need a professional simply to check for spotted lanternfly. But an arborist consultation is worth scheduling if:

• You have tree of heaven on your property and aren’t sure how to identify or manage it
• You’ve found what looks like an active population, not just a single insect
• You have mature or high-value trees – especially maples, walnuts, or other favored hosts – showing unexplained sap weeping, wilting, or heavy honeydew buildup
• You want a property assessment to know what pest and disease risks you’re carrying before the situation changes

If you’re unsure whether you’ve found a spotted lanternfly or a look-alike, or whether that fast-growing tree along your fence line is tree of heaven, scheduling a professional tree health inspection is the more educational path forward. Early identification helps prevent unnecessary treatments and protects valuable landscape trees before an infestation becomes established. An arborist familiar with regional pest patterns can also tell tree of heaven apart from similar-looking natives – removing the wrong tree wastes money, and removing tree of heaven incorrectly can cause it to send up more aggressive root suckers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the spotted lanternfly actually in Missouri yet?

No established, breeding population has been confirmed in Missouri as of this writing. Isolated hitchhiker specimens have been found, including one in St. Louis County, but the nearest confirmed populations are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Can spotted lanternfly hurt my dog, cat, or kids?

No. It doesn’t bite or sting and isn’t considered a health risk to people or pets. The concern is entirely about damage to trees, gardens, and crops.

Can spotted lanternflies damage healthy trees?

Spotted lanternflies rarely kill healthy, mature trees on their own. However, heavy infestations weaken trees by feeding on sap, producing sticky honeydew, and encouraging sooty mold growth. Repeated infestations increase stress and make trees more vulnerable to drought, disease, and other pests.

What does spotted lanternfly damage actually look like?

Weeping or oozing sap on trunks and branches, sticky honeydew coating leaves and anything underneath the tree, and black sooty mold growing on that honeydew. In heavy, sustained infestations, host trees can decline significantly.

Do I need to report every single sighting?

Yes, while Missouri remains unconfirmed for an established population. Even one report helps state agencies track where the pest is entering the state and respond before it spreads.

How is this different from the emerald ash borer problem in St. Louis County?

Emerald ash borer specifically targets ash trees and is already established and doing significant damage locally. Spotted lanternfly isn’t established here yet and feeds on a much wider range of plants, but the pattern of early hitchhiker sightings followed by a spreading population is similar to what played out with EAB.

Should I remove tree of heaven from my yard now, just in case?

It’s worth having it identified and evaluated. Tree of heaven is itself an aggressive invasive species with weak wood and an extensive root system, so there are often good reasons to manage or remove it regardless of the spotted lanternfly. An arborist can advise on the safest removal approach, since cutting it down without proper treatment can trigger heavy root sprouting.

What is a spotted lanternfly?

A spotted lanternfly is an invasive sap-feeding insect that attacks more than 70 plant species, especially Tree of Heaven. Missouri has not confirmed an established breeding population, but isolated hitchhiker detections have occurred.

Should Missouri homeowners report spotted lanternflies?

Yes. Every suspected sighting should be reported to the Missouri Department of Agriculture or the Missouri Department of Conservation to help monitor and slow the spread.

Need a Professional Tree Health Inspection? 

Mathias Precision Tree Service provides pest and disease management and arborist evaluations throughout Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, Florissant, and the greater St. Louis area. If you’ve spotted a suspicious insect or want a mature tree checked for early warning signs, contact us at (314) 228-6510 for a free consultation.