Another pest from Asia is targeting America’s wine industry, only this one packs a killer bite.
Following the pattern set by the stink bug before it, the spotted lanternfly arrived in Pennsylvania from Asia in 2014 and has quickly spread into 15 states.
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But unlike the brown marmorated stink bug, which can ruin the taste and nose of vino when crushed with fruit it sips on, the spotted lanternfly feeds on the vines of wine and table grapes.
“They suck the sap out,” said Tracy Leskey, the supervisory research entomologist at the Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Fruit Research Station.
Spotted lanternfly party today at the lab. They sound like #popcorn. pic.twitter.com/YCAcpWU9QK
— Dr Tracy Leskey (@BMSBresearch) September 21, 2023
“In Pennsylvania, there have been reports after intense feeding from lanternflies of reduced yields the following year up to 90% as well as increased risk of winter injury,” the government’s expert on the invasive insects said.
They are also a threat to some trees, notably black walnut, but less so fruit trees hit hard by the stink bug.
As they did with the stink bug, Leskey and other government and university experts have joined to figure out how the spotted lanternfly spreads so fast and ways to kill it. They’ve created a webpage for their efforts, stopslf.org.
For example, they are testing to see if the bug can stick to speeding cars and trucks. Apparently, it does because the spread in Maryland and Virginia has been swift.
Leskey and other state, federal, and university entomologists have been here before with the battle against the stink bug.
Spotted lanternfly definitely on-brand today. pic.twitter.com/xlYxjfsIi1
— Dr Tracy Leskey (@BMSBresearch) August 24, 2022
After years of war, Leskey said that the stink bug invasion started in 1998 has waned thanks to the accidental importation of a native Asian pest, a tiny wasp that lays its eggs in the stink bug eggs.
Now, officials are hopeful of discovering a native enemy to the lanternfly.
“It’s a very similar scenario in terms of invasion ecology, where you have this population that is increasing and spreading. They’re figuring out what they can eat in the landscape and unfortunately it is wine grapes, so it’s on the menu for them,” Leskey said.
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“It’s certainly a national issue. We have folks that we’re working with, just like we did with the brown marmorated stink bug, across the country,” she said.
Several potential killers of the larger and prettier lanternfly are being studied, but for now, many states are suggesting a simple solution — step on them.
”There has been a lot of effort put into awareness for lanternfly, which is really good. People recognize it when it shows up right away. And so I think that’s been very good. Yeah, it is pretty but it doesn’t belong here,” Leskey added.
