“Our vineyards, our hopfields, our wine and brewery industries are very much threatened by the spotted lantern fly,” said Blumenthal. Native to Asia, spotted lanternflies were first discovered in Connecticut in 2020 and have since spread to all eight counties, according to CAES reports. Blumenthal advised all Connecticut residents to take a photo of, report, and kill any spotted lanternflies they encounter. “You would think the spotted lanternfly is low on the list of worries [in this country] but actually, it can do a lot of damage to trees, vineyards, hops, breweries,” Blumenthal said. Dr. Jason White, director of CAES, said that his organization is currently working alongside local laboratories to develop repellants and natural enemies for the spotted lanternfly species.