2025 Raid^® State of the Bug Report

Native to Asia and emerging in the United States, the spotted lanternfly is an invasive sap-sucking insect that feeds on and weakens more than 70 plant species⁴, posing a significant threat to agricultural crops, hardwood trees, grapevines and more. Spotted lanternflies also excrete large amounts of sticky honeydew that attract other insects and promote the growth of sooty mold, reducing the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and grow. As such, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends squashing spotted lanternfly eggs on sight⁵ to prevent the spread of this invasive planthopper.

Spread: This hitchhiking pest is primarily found on trees and spreads through human activity by laying eggs on vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture, and stone, which inadvertently transports them to new areas. 

Impacted Regions: First discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, this is an invasive species that is found in 18 U.S. states today. It’s emerging along the east coast in states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia, and expanding westward to states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois.

Relatively new to the United States and introduced from South America decades ago – likely through soil in cargo ships⁶ – fire ants are an aggressive ant species with painful stings that can cause allergic reactions and can even be life-threatening in some cases⁷, especially when exposed to multiple stings or an entire fire ant mound. 

Spread: Fire ants are starting to hybridize with other ant species, creating the possibility for them to adapt and spread beyond the Southeastern U.S.

Impacted Regions: Primarily found in Southeastern U.S. but expanding north along the Atlantic Coast to Virginia and appearing in the desert Southwest, including New Mexico and California.

What This Means for Your Home & What to Do: Fire ants generally build colonies outdoors and mounds can sometimes be found under rocks or wood laying on the ground.

Periodical cicadas are a unique phenomenon, with broods emerging every 13 or 17 years depending on the species. In 2024, both Brood XIX and Brood XIII surfaced simultaneously – a first in over 200 years. In 2025, Brood XIV is expected to emerge, bringing another wave of cicadas to parts of the Midwest and Eastern U.S. 

Spread: When soil temperatures hit ~64°F at a depth of 12-18 inches⁸, cicadas emerge from the ground in large numbers. They climb nearby trees or structures, shed their exoskeletons and begin mating as adults.

Impacted Regions: Brood XIV cicadas are expected to emerge this year across parts of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, as well as possibly along the edges of Illinois, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Areas with long standing tree growth will see the most activity. Areas without longstanding tree growth will have little impact.

A common culprit in homes, hotels, and public transportation, bed bugs are a persistent household pest with serious public health implications. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they fall under the category of blood-sucking ectoparasites – similar to head lice – due to their invasive nature and bites, which can cause itching, sleep disruption and allergic reactions that can lead to physical and mental stress. 

Spread: Bed bugs tend to be more active in the summer months due to warmer temperatures and increased human travel, which can facilitate their spread and allow them to reproduce faster. Bed bugs mainly spread by hitchhiking on various items like luggage, clothing, furniture and bedding. In multi-unit buildings, they can travel between units through cracks, crevices, shared items and even shared systems, like plumbing and electrical wiring.

Impacted Regions: Found across the U.S., with infestations especially common in major cities and densely populated areas.  

Primarily active from late April to July, female black flies gain nourishment by feeding on the blood of mammals, including humans and birds. Their bites are painful and often cause itching and swelling. In cattle, they can lead to weight loss. For those who travel to parts of Africa, black flies can also transmit a disease known as “river blindness.”

Spread: Black flies lay eggs in flowing water like rivers and streams. Adult flies can fly several miles from their breeding site and often swarm around potential hosts, like humans or other animals. 

Impacted Regions: Primarily found in the wetter parts of the northern U.S. and Canada, including New England, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

What This Means for Your Home & What to Do: For people in the northern U.S. with homes near rivers or areas with consistent rainfall, install fine mesh screens and use fans on porches or patios, as black flies avoid breezy areas. 

With warmer winters and longer growing seasons emerging in parts of the U.S., bald-faced hornets could show up earlier and nest in greater numbers, raising concerns for both homeowners and outdoor workers. These stinging insects are distinguished by their larger size and have a striking black and white coloration. They can often be aggressive, especially when their nest is disturbed.

Spread: Nests start in early spring but are usually found in mid-late summer while mowing around bushes and trees, or in the fall when fallen leaves expose the nests. Nest inhabitants can number in the hundreds by late summer.

Impacted Regions: Found in most of the United States and Canada, but most abundant in the Southeastern U.S. These insects prefer forested areas with consistent rainfall but can also be found in urban areas.

What this Means for Your Home & What to Do: Most bald-faced hornet nests can be found in trees and shrubs but may show up under eaves or other sheltered areas like attics or wall voids.

After a population surge reported in 2024 fueled by mild winters and heavy rainfall in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, earwigs could remain unusually active in 2025, especially in areas with wet spring conditions. Earwigs, also known as pincher bugs, are popular in folklore due to the common – but untrue – myth that they crawl inside your ears to lay eggs or feed on your brain. Their large pincers on the end of their abdomen are mainly used in defense, meaning they can pinch but usually won’t attack humans unless disturbed.

Spread: Earwigs are attracted to moisture and tight spaces, so they may seek out damp areas, eventually finding entry points into homes.

Impacted Regions: Common throughout the U.S. although states like Wisconsin, Michigan and upstate New York reported increased populations in 2024 due to a milder winter and higher precipitation.

What this Means for Your Home & What to Do: For earwigs that have made their way inside the home, reduce moisture, seal entry points, and use insecticide in cracks and crevices where they hide. 

A large mosquito species, gallinippers emerge in large numbers after heavy rainfall and flood events, especially hurricanes. These mosquitoes are highly aggressive with painful bites. Unlike some mosquito species, gallinippers are not known to transmit vector-borne diseases to humans – however, they may be able to transmit heartworm to dogs. While not unique to 2025, because hurricane seasons are expected to continue expanding in duration and intensity (which could lead to more major rainfall events) in the coming years⁹, gallinippers may have an extended presence moving forward.  

Spread: Gallinippers emerge in large numbers after major rainfall events between May and October. People often report swarms of these aggressive and shockingly large mosquitoes after hurricanes.

Impacted Regions: Eastern half of the U.S., especially Southeastern states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as other regions around the Gulf.