MARION COUNTY, Mo. (WGEM) - Spotted lanternfly, a native bug to China and Vietnam, has made its way into the Midwest.

They are an invasive species and found their way to the United States on an overseas shipment.

Despite the name, they are part of the true bug family. “This means they are closely related to cicadas and leafhoppers,” said Ashley Johnson, Wildlife Biologist Assistant with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Spotted lanternfly has a piercing, sucking mouth that allows it to suck sap from vegetation.

The older adults can pierce wood, and their main host is the tree of heaven.

Grapes are one of the agricultural industries being most affected by the invasion of spotted lanternfly, but Johnson said they have also been spotted in soybean and corn fields, and they like to

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