ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Spotted lanternflies continue to be a growing problem, but taking action now can help control their spread. Scraping their egg masses during the winter months is key. Chris Logue, the director of the plant industry at New York State’s Department of Agriculture, says the spotted lanternfly is an invasive planthopper native to parts of China and was first detected in North America in 2014. Adult lanternflies are typically active from July until the first frost. However, their egg masses persist through the winter, making it especially crucial to remove them before spring to help limit their spread. “When they are first laid, they have a sort of a whitish gray appearance and then they weather to a darker gray. They’re about 30 to 60 eggs in each egg mass and so, one of the things that you can do with egg masses that are easily reachable is scrape them off and either crush them or put them in rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer,” said Logue. He emphasized that while scraping the egg masses can help slow the spread of the spotted lanternfly, it won't entirely eliminate the problem. “That’s a really important practice. One of the things to keep in mind is you’re not going to totally eliminate a population that way because there are going to be egg masses that are in locations that you can’t see,” Logue said. “And so it really is a population reduction sort of activity versus an eradication activity.”  New York State agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, among others, have joined forces in collaborative efforts that have been instrumental in slowing the spread of this invasive species. “Those have been really, really strong partners that have helped us with trapping and with reporting. DOT has also, as they get into the winter months and they begin to move equipment around for snow removal purposes and they transfer equipment from region to region, they’re very diligent about inspecting that equipment to be sure that there are no egg masses on there,” said Logue. The public is strongly encouraged to report any sightings of spotted lanternflies or their egg masses. Reporting is simple: just upload a photo, along with your contact information and GPS coordinates, to the Department of Agriculture and Markets’ website. Their GIS-enabled reporting tool will handle the rest. Click here to find their website and click here for the specific form.