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Pests and pest control in New Jersey

Pests to know in New Jersey

Why each one matters here is cited in the sections below.

Pests documented in New Jersey

From public GBIF occurrence records since 1990. A record means a species was documented in New Jersey, not that it's common near you.

Many public records (659)

Fewer public records (174)

Range named by extension sources (1)

Invasive species reported here

  • Spotted lanternfly, first found in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014, has spread to New Jersey, where it feeds on sap from grapevines, maples, black walnut and other important plants.[2]
  • The non-native brown marmorated stink bug became established in northern and central New Jersey in 2002.[3]

Pests local experts flag

  • Besides the familiar blacklegged tick, the aggressive lone star tick has long been a problem in southern New Jersey, and there are signs it may be moving north.[4]
  • Eight carpenter ant species occur in the northeastern U.S., and the black carpenter ant is the most common; inside homes they nest in wood such as porch posts, siding, joists and moist wood.[5]

Public agencies that handle pests

The New Jersey Department of Health's Fight the Bite program routinely tests mosquito pools and other sources of vector-borne illness and runs a dashboard of case data and pathogen data in mosquitoes and ticks.[6]

Hiring a licensed company

New Jersey's pesticide regulatory agency is the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Bureau of Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement).[1]

Licensing agency: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Bureau of Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement[1].

See also how to check a pest control license.

Free local help

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Plant Diagnostic Laboratory offers insect identification along with disease and insect pest diagnosis.[7]

Local guides in New Jersey

Through the year

Fall
Brown marmorated stink bugs gather on houses in late fall and move indoors; Rutgers asks residents who see large numbers from mid-September through October to report it to their county Extension office.[3]
Spring to Fall
In New Jersey, lone star tick adults are active from April to mid-June, nymphs from April to July, and larvae from July to September.[4]

Sources

  1. National Pesticide Information Center, “State Pesticide Regulatory Agencies.” npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. New Jersey Department of Agriculture, “Spotted Lanternfly.” www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/pests-diseases/spotted-lanternfly/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. Rutgers Cooperative Extension (NJAES), “Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - A Non-native Insect in New Jersey (FS002).” njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS002 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  4. Rutgers NJAES Center for Vector Biology, “FS1281: Lone Star Ticks in New Jersey: Risk, Ecology, and Prevention.” njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1281/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  5. Rutgers Cooperative Extension (NJAES), “FS1101: Carpenter Ants and Their Control.” njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1101/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  6. New Jersey Department of Health, “Fight the Bite, NJ!.” www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/vectorborne.shtml (accessed 2026-10-06)
  7. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, “Plant Diagnostic Laboratory and Nematode Detection Service.” extension.rutgers.edu/plant-diagnostic-lab (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-06. Every statement on this page comes from the cited state, federal or university source. Spot an error? Tell us.