The Spotted Lanternfly has been creeping northward in New York for a few years now, and the state is asking for help tracking the hungry bugs, especially near vulnerable vineyards.
Established populations of the flashy invasive have not been found in Syracuse, but “any grape production should be aware of this,” said Chris Logue, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) Director for Plant Industry, during a Monday press conference.
For anyone in Upstate New York — “We really do urge you to report,” he said.
The DAM and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have been tracking Spotted Lanternfly in New York since as far back 2015, but the bug has multiplied and spread significantly since then. Big populations can decimate a vineyard and are potentially threatening to other crops like fruit trees.
If you see a Spotted Lanternfly, kill it. Not quite by any means necessary, said Logue — “I would caution folks to not go to superhuman effort or do anything dangerous” — but these bugs feed on grape vines and are a threat to the state’s grape and wine industry, and potentially to other crops.
Citizen reporting is a crucial part of tracking and hopefully containing the bug, but now the DEC is asking people in New York City and Western parts of Long Island, where Spotted Lanternflies are well-established, to hold off on reporting so that sightings in the rest of the state can be prioritized.
To report a Spotted Lanternfly, take a photo of the bug and upload it to the Spotted Lanternfly Public Report Portal. It’s best if you can keep the specimen in a plastic bag in the freezer or in some hand sanitizer to keep it intact so that DEC or DAM survey teams can take a look at it if necessary, said Logue.
The state sends out teams to check on any reports of concern and the surrounding areas for established populations. So far, the insect is well established in New York City, and there are significant populations in Hudson Valley. It has been observed in Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Albany, Yates County, Ithaca and Binghamton.
A few weeks ago there was one report from Buffalo that “was probably a hitchhiker from last year,” said Logue, like the one in Yates County from 2018.
As of yet, “we were not able to detect a population in far Western New York,” he said. “Not to say it isn’t there (but) we were not able to detect a population.”
Unfortunately the invasive travels easily, said Logue, by “hitchhiking” on cars, RVs, boats or products that have been sitting outside for a while. Spotted Lanternfly likely first came to the U.S. from Asia on stone shipments for construction.
Check vehicles and equipment for egg sacs or individual bugs before heading off on summer trips upstate or anywhere else, said Logue. The DAM is working with the trucking and rail industries to mitigate transport of the bug or its eggs.
Egg masses are about 1.5 inches long and look like woody scabs, or “a smudge of clay,” according to the Virginia Department of Forestry. They survive through the winter and hatch in the spring, but can be easily smashed and destroyed.
Grown Spotted Lanternflies feed on plant sap with their “piercing, sucking mouthparts,” said Logue, and can also drop a sticky honeydew substance onto plants that encourages the growth of Sooty mold, which looks like a black coating on the surface of leaves and may reduce plant photosynthesis.
That honeydew also tastes odd when it falls onto a fruit’s skin and is eaten, so orchards would potentially need to change the way they process or wash their fruit if faced with a Spotted Lanternfly infestation, said Logue.
Early reports suggest that the fly doesn’t prefer heavily wooded areas, said Logue, instead concentrating in the transition areas between forest and farm or field. That means New York’s maple producers shouldn’t be very concerned, he said. There are no reports of Spotted Lanternfly feeding on hemp or cannabis.
This bug is a “general feeder” that eats over 70 types of plants, said Logue, and data on its impacts on specific crops are still relatively new.
In addition to grape vines, Spotted Lanternflies like to eat Tree of Heaven, which itself is a problematic invasive. But it’s unclear what that means for the control of plant or bug. For example, said Logue, there isn’t data to determine if eradicating Tree of Heaven would encourage the fly to feed on more native species or economically important crops.
Generally, “research is changing almost daily” on Spotted Lanternfly, he said.
Spotted Lanternfly can be pretty easily killed with insecticides, about which New York growers should consult Cornell University’s Cornell Cooperative Extension programs for regional-specific treatments, said Logue.
Currently there are established populations of the bug in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia; isolated populations in Massachusetts and Connecticut; and individual bug sightings in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Upstate New Yorkers should keep their eyes peeled and report any sightings, said Logue.
“Early notification is really important.”
Jules Struck writes about life and culture in and around Syracuse. Contact her anytime at jstruck@syracuse.com or on Instagram at julesstruck.journo.
READ MORE
New York ‘very scared of’ new bug that sucks the life out of grape vines
In Finger Lakes vineyards, climate change has already arrived
NY enacts quarantine to confront invasive spotted lanternfly
Spotted lanternfly: New invasive pest could impact NY’s agriculture and tourism
Ad Choices