Spotted Lanternfly?

Has anyone heard of this? Is it the next bad thing?

Yes and may be considered “the” bad thing. It’s centered in eastern PA. Last year’s PA quarantine did not prevent the spread as it’s been detected in surrounding states including DE, NY, MD, NJ & VA. Not all counties are affected in those states where it’s been detected. Tree of Heaven is the favored host. I’ve been in the process of taking out any tree of heaven I find on my property. This pest sucks on the sap of trunks, shoots, and leaves. I know a vineyard manager in PA that is incredibly worried about the pest as he’s near ground zero.

Recent article … https://www.americanagriculturist.com/crops/grape-growers-feeling-brunt-spotted-lanternfly-effects

First one in Maryland has been confirmed today. A trapped male. Lots of hope that this is a random catch and doesn’t indicate that they have crossed into MD but seems like wishful thinking at this point.

I live within a few miles of the epicenter. Hope is not going to stop this critter. They reproduce in the millions and they’re on the way. CT and Mass should have a few years to go unless some are accidentally transported. They’re reportedly quite a potential problem for orchards and vineyards, especially “organic”. Insecticides have been somewhat effective but with limits as sprayed areas repopulate after the residues attenuate. The bugs and their nymphs are large and difficult to miss. Smashed bugs can be seen all over the local roads.

They showed up on my property in a wave last year. Fewer this year (woodland) because we’re short on preferred plant species. If there’s a breakthrough in fighting them, it should probably happen in Berks County, PA where the problem started in 2014 and research is ongoing.

RT

Recent summary update to this pest … Spotted lanternfly a new grape threat | Good Fruit Grower . Just got back from the quarantined area in PA and most vineyard owners are keenly aware on what to look for. Eggs masses are burned off with propane torch and the nymphs and adults are sprayed with insecticides. Have been eliminating tree-of-heaven saplings in disturbed areas around the vineyard. I know it’s coming and it’s now a matter of when and whether some softer remedies are possible when that time comes. I’m pulling for the folks in PA to get a strategic plan in place to share with others on how to minimize the risk.

not ITB, but I just saw this quarantine established in Virginia

Sticky tape is apparently not the answer. Sticky tape meant to snare lanternflies also catching birds and squirrels – The Morning Call

Numbers seem down considerably this year, at least in my tiny corner. The Sweet Bay Magnolia trees were loaded with them last year. Much fewer this year…so far. Right now they’re in the nymph stage. This critter is about the size of a pencil eraser.

Locally, they seem to have migrated like a front of thundershowers. The front was massive and then it slowly thinned out behind it. Numbers are probably still big in areas of specific target plants. The wave hit here 2 years ago. Last year was the first hatching and fairly substantial. This year is the 2nd.

RT

Richard - Hopefully that front blows out to sea. After talking to vineyard colleagues in PA it’s clear that quarantines are not successful. They seem to hitch hike on anything…especially vehicles. My spouse and I are on the lookout and I have to keep pulling out tree of heaven saplings in the disturbed soil areas along the woods. Hopefully enough time passes before I spot them and the mid-Atlantic folks have a chance to set a control strategy for the rest of us to follow. Nuking everything is not an option in my mind.

Unless some sort of natural based defense comes in to play (molds, bacteria, virus, predators, etc.), I’m not confident that a manmade strategy will work. Perhaps it will on a smaller scale for individual vineyards, orchards, etc.

The wave was unmistakable here. One day there were no lanternflies and the next, you couldn’t walk 20 feet without seeing a few, another 20 feet a few more…for miles. I get the feeling there will be fewer again this year in the woods…but we’re short on preferred plants.

RT

As a quick update (and a tiny N = 1 sample size), the number of Lanternfly nymphs is WAY down here. 30+ acre woodlot and very short of target species. Nymphs were swarming all over two Sweet Bay Magnolias last year, hundreds of them. This year…I’ve seen one.

No explanation, other than Magnolias must not be a target species and that once the massive adult wave blew through…future generations require something different in order to thrive in high concentrations, i.e.: habitat, environment, and/or food source.

Maybe the population will erupt again later in the Summer with a new influx of adults. I won’t miss it if it doesn’t happen.

RT

The epicenter in District Township, PA (Berks County near Huffs Church and Bally, PA) is 10 miles west of here.

https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/lanternfly-may-be-on-the-wane-in-berks July 8, 2019

“When you go out and see several thousand lanternflies swarming a tree and the honeydew is falling on you like rain, it’s scary,” said Sherburne, who chairs the Berks County Conservation District board of directors. “Never saw it before.” This summer, however, the spotted lanternflies seem to be gone. Sherburne wonders if it’s some sort of cycle of the insect. “I haven’t seen a nymph yet. It’s wonderful,” she said. “I’m really interested in seeing if we get lanternflies coming through in another wave or if it was just a once-and-done thing.”

In Lower Alsace Township, Mark Goodwin expected to find nymphs this spring crawling on the front of his house, the shrubs and a large tree in his yard, like they did a year ago. This year he was ready for them, armed with spray bottles, sticky bands for trees and a Bug-A-Salt, a salt gun for killing flying insects that’s found in sporting goods stores. “I was expecting to unleash World War IV on them,” he said. So far, Goodwin hasn’t seen any in his yard. He lives near Little Antietam Park, where the fungi were found to kill them, so he theorizes that nature cut down the bug’s numbers this year. “Really amazing. I haven’t seen one,” said Goodwin. “I feel a little left out.”


Their observations remain similar to here. There were several hundred (maybe a thousand or more) in the trees and shrubs close to the house last year. This year…2 nymphs.

RT

That is great news. We have not seen any on our property :crossed_fingers:this year and only isolated sightings close by.

By now, based on the past 2 years, there should be thousands of adults flying around.

We had one in the garage and one flew in the house. That’s it for the adults I’ve seen. Outside, none. None on the Sweet Bay Magnolias. Whatever the alleged natural fungus or microbes are, it’s knocked the hell out of them.

I’ve heard reports of “waves” in the Lehigh Valley and Central/lower Bucks County that are comparable to what we saw last year. There’re a number of vineyards and wineries in the Lehigh Valley and Bucks County.

Researchers are reportedly working diligently. There should be a bunch of data collected and available over the next few months.

RT

Chester County is started to see increase levels. We have had only a few (knock on wood) but friends 4 miles away have many more than last year. Went bird watching up in Berks County earlier in the week. Not many on the trees at ground level but when you were focused on the tops of the trees with binoculars, they were flying all over the place.

WSJ had an article on this today. There was a video of a tree totally covered in these, at a small airport. I really hope they contain this. I cant imagine having this in my neighborhood.

Sadly, I don’t believe there’s any containment. Huge numbers in the Lehigh Valley. It’s kind of bizarre because locally the numbers are still way down, minus 90% or more. They’re definitely not absent but not everywhere like they were. The populations can fluctuate dramatically within just a few miles. Yesterday during a bike ride, one landed on the back of a friend while we were riding at about 10 miles per hour. He didn’t notice and I swatted it off. It’s that easy to move them from one location to another.

RT

Just chatted with the produce farmer up the road about 5 miles, slightly closer to the epicenter. They’ve seen maybe 10 Lanternflies all Summer. That’s dumbfounding considering the thousands a couple years ago. They have orchards of apples, plums, peaches and pears. They also grow strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and a wide variety of green vegetables. No Lanternfly damage worth noting.

The farmer’s wife mentioned how the critters are supposed to be hard on grapes and grape vines…but they don’t grow grapes.

For reasons I don’t really understand, the local demand for wine grapes currently outstrips supply. Quite a few new vineyards have sprung up.

From July 2019: “Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery has been proudly growing grapes and producing wine in Pennsylvania for the past 34 years. This business is not only our livelihood, but it is our passion,” said Kari Skrip, owner of Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery. “We have six vineyards located in Lehigh and Berks counties, and the lanternfly has created a serious threat to our vineyards. While we haven’t experienced any direct damage to our vines, we have witnessed large populations of this invasive pest in our vineyards.”

Clover Hill is < 10 miles from the epicenter. Plenty of Lanternflies there this year and last year.

Looks like we’ll need to wait until next year for more data…but doom & gloom might be premature at this point.

RT

Or is it the Asian longhorn beetle, hemlock woolly adelgid, or sudden oak death. Where is the extinction of trees thread?