12/5/2023 0 Comments Lantern bugs 2022“Should the spotted lanternfly become established in all parts of Indiana, it is expected that honeydew, the secretion that spotted lanternfly leave behind, will become part of our late-summer honey harvest.”īees make good use of any honeydew they collect, Harpur said, but that isn’t desirable. “It is imperative for beekeepers to keep a careful eye out for signs of the spotted lanternfly in their area and on their equipment,” Harpur said. Graphic of the reproductive cycle (Purdue Agricultural Communications) Spotted lanternfly populations feeding on wine grape vines can severely reduce winter hardiness or kill the crop all together.īrock Harpur, Purdue assistant professor of entomology, said bee keeping equipment can also provide the perfect spot for spotted lanternflies to lay eggs, allowing the insect to travel around the state. Keeping an eye out for spotted lanternfly hitchhikers and avoiding moving items that are likely to accidentally move insects along are key. “Looking to next season, the same strategy is needed. “Several of the insecticides grape growers currently use for other insect pests will also knock down the spotted lanternfly, so there is no need to make additional sprays as a preventative at this time,” Long said. While the spotted lanternfly feeds on over 100 different types of plants, Sadof said, the insect can reproduce only when feeding on walnut trees, grape vines or tree of heaven.Įlizabeth Long, Purdue University assistant professor of horticulture crop entomology, said one of the best defenses that wine grape growers can take against the spotted lanternfly is learning to identify the life stages of the insect and remaining vigilant inspecting for them. Seen in July in Indiana’s Huntington County, the invasive spotted lanternfly has officially migrated to northern Indiana, just one year after its initial sighting in Switzerland County.Ĭliff Sadof, professor of entomology and Purdue Extension fellow, said this migration poses a significant agricultural risk to wine grape growers and honeybee and walnut tree producers. “They’re not great fliers, but they’re constantly moving.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. “If you don’t kill it, you’ll carry it,” she says. Spotted lanternflies can’t fly very far on their own, but have managed to spread by hitching rides with humans and vehicles, which is why Urban says it’s important to be vigilant about your surroundings and kill the insects or any egg masses if you see them. “It’s not futile.” How to best get rid of spotted lanternflies “People get very frustrated with invasive species, but anything they can do helps researchers buy time as we come up with better solutions,” she says. So while the insect may not be eradicated through the stomping of many feet, Urban adds that these efforts still help researchers. We do hope to slow the spread to give us more time to learn about this.” “We don’t feel as though eradication is an option for this,” says Eshenaur. “Each one we step on has the potential of killing 40 with it.”Īt the end of the day, though, spotted lanternflies are here to stay, and all efforts are on slowing down the insects’ reach rather than getting rid of them completely. “One female spotted lanternfly can lay up to 40 egg masses,” he says. But with thousands of insects already in the environment, will squashing a few bugs have any impact?Įshenaur says that small efforts can play a big part in reducing the population-especially on a local scale. Experts worry about the economic toll of the spotted lanternfly but say more research is needed to better understand its impact.Įxperts say that having people kill lanternflies is a short term strategy as scientists continue to develop long-term, sustainable solutions. The spotted lanternfly has a preference for grapevines, maple trees, and black walnut, all of which are vital to the country’s grape, orchard, and logging industries. “It could potentially kill other plants, but it’s more of a stressor.” The insects damage plants and trees, causing them to leak sap from the wounds and leave behind a sticky honeydew that can lead to the growth of sooty mold, a fungal disease. “They insert their straw-like beaks into the plant and feed on the sap,” says Julie Urban, associate professor at Penn State’s entomology department. But it’s a danger to more than 100 trees and plants, and can kill grapevines and the tree of heaven, a fast-growing deciduous tree native to China that is also an invasive species. The spotted lanternfly doesn’t cause any harm to humans or animals-it doesn’t bite, sting, or contain venom. Why experts are encouraging people to kill spotted lanternflies
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