It was an ordinary day. My wife, Carol, had just returned from an hour-long, multi-mile walk when she told me about the multiple trees in the neighborhood that are covered with spotted lanternflies. The little black buggers with tiny white spots on them can be found clustered on trees on just about any tree in the neighborhood. A few residents have placed traps made of sticky-paper on their trees and shrubs, but it seems like it may be of no use. It was back in 2014 that they were first noticed in Berks County, Pennsylvania. 47 out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania now have reported seeing the lantern flies. They manage to spread so easily since they are very mobile and can fly or hitch rides from one area to another in no time at all. One of the more unknown aspects of the spotted lanternfly has been how nimble it's been since being discovered in the United States. An environmental analyst, Rachel Cook, who is earning her master's degree at Purdue University in Indiana, released a study late last year on the movement of the insect. Her sister resides in Philadelphia so she also gets to spend time in this area learning about the species. She is trying to measure the annual movement of the insect, either on its own or by hitching rides on cars, trains or anything that moves. An estimated spread rate of around 25 miles per year by one insect is beginning to scare many who worry about the spread of the insect. In many states you are prohibited from transporting landscaping or construction waste, firewood, grapevines, packing materials, recreational vehicles and tarps. When my wife returned home from her walk I grabbed my camera and began to walk east along the street that runs in front of our home.
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| Hundreds of spotted lanternflies stick to the paper wrapped around this tree. |
I hadn't walked more than 25 feet when I came upon a bush that was covered with the spotted lanternflies. A few neighbors had placed "traps" on their trees and shrubs while others, including myself, had not done so yet. I had not done so since I hadn't heard of their arrival in my neighborhood until this morning. I will have to buy some "traps" and place them on my trees as soon as I can. I will head to the hardware store tomorrow for the lantern fly "traps" to keep the little guys, and gals, from destroying all my shrubs and trees. They are rather harmless looking and are neat looking bugs that are black with white specks on them as nymphs. As a nymph they are about 1/4" long and then morph into flying technicolor adults over the summer. They tend to attach themselves to vehicles or rail cars and transport themselves miles at a time. They spread so fast since they feed on over 70 species of plants and lay eggs almost anywhere. In the fall they can ride on thermal currents for miles. The pest originated in China and southeastern Asia and goes through various life stages, and colors, before emerging as a 1-inch long adult with wings. They are deadly to grape vines. The grape growers have put up a good fight and are finding ways to eliminate them. Insecticides are an option, but homemade products should not be used. The state of Pennsylvania has a spraying program, with the active ingredient of the insecticide bifenthrin. Neighborhoods must be careful not to use products they aren't familiar with, since it could be highly toxic to fish and bees. Homemade products are illegal in Pennsylvania. So, for now the little pests look like they have the upper hand. But...don't we always win these battles. It's just a matter of time! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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