Nuisance spotted lanternflies impacting Maryland wineries and vineyards
BALTIMORE - Spotted lanternflies don't bite. They don't sting and they aren't poisonous.
They're really not going to cause any major headaches for most people this summer, but they are already causing headaches at local wineries and vineyards.
"Every time I come out here I am surprised and horrified by the number of these things," said Julian Wilson, owner of Elk Run Vineyards.
The spotted lanternfly is back and is causing a nuisance.
"Most counties in the state are under quarantine or reports of generally infested areas," bug expert Michael Raupp said. "It's spread through much of our state now and these guys are beginning to be busy at work."
Raupp said, for most people, the spotted lanternfly will mostly just be a nuisance pest, but for folks in the wine industry, these bugs can kill vines and have a major impact on business.
"You see all of these holes here, this is from them eating the leaf," Wilson said. "They've gone through and nibbled it all the way."
Wilson owns Elk Run Vineyards where 60,000 bottles of wine are produced yearly.
He said spotted lanternflies could potentially destroy his business.
"If they killed all of the plants here and we had to re-grow, grape wines take five years, Wilson said. "Take five years to produce grapes that you can use in wine."
So what do you do if you see a spotted lanternfly?
"The Maryland Department of Agriculture is still requesting that you report these, take a photograph," Raupp said. "You can send it in, unless you live in Cecil and Harford counties. We already know there are tons of them there. We're still trying to find out exactly how far they've spread in the state so we can make better recommendations on how to manage them."
