Spotted Lanternflies: A History of the Invasive Hopper

By -
        There were hundreds of them. Top to bottom, invasive spotted lanternflies were crawling up and down the electric pole outside of my house. It was the most I’d ever seen together alive at one time, and it was perfect. Fall of 2018, I had started a science fair project to test the effectiveness of different pesticides on killing the spotted lanternfly, a new invasive species in my area. While I had done some collecting around my backyard, I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t be able to collect enough lanternflies for the testing procedure I had planned. As the days were getting colder, I knew my time with emerging adults was short. I was just getting ready to collect again, worried about where I would find any that day, when my dad rushed inside. “Sarah! Come quick! There are lanternflies all over the electric pole outside!” I hurried outside to look. I couldn’t believe it. This entirely metal, rusty pole had hundreds of lanternflies, perfectly active, crawling and flying all over it. My project was saved! 

Adult spotted lanternfly
photo credit: PSU extension

        It was not been so long ago when there were no spotted lanternflies in my home county, let alone my home state, and this country. Native to China, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) got moved to the United States in 2014. A plant-hopping insect of the order Hemiptera and family Falgoridae, its main food sources are crops, trees, and other plants. With no natural predators and high potential to cause harm, a lot of people became worried about their takeover as an invasive species and the impacts it could have on crops. While spotted lanternflies prefer first to feed on the (also invasive) tree of heaven, they also prefer plants like grapevines, black walnuts, apples, and other hardwood trees. Considering the high quantities of agriculture throughout Pennsylvania, stopping the spread of spotted lanternflies became a big priority for the state. Penn State University’s extension program did a lot of research on them, posting it all for people to use, and a ton of different awareness campaigns started up to stop them. Part of this priority for control came also from the fact that as they feed, spotted lanternflies excrete honeydew, which attracts other insects and promotes the growth of sooty mold, both of which can further damage the tree. The first time I ever heard about these insects was from my eighth-grade science teacher who seemed crazed about these new invasive bugs. Although they weren’t well established in my area yet, she was sure they would continue to spread. Sure enough, they showed up in high numbers the next year, and it was then that I decided to do a science fair project about controlling them. One of the major things I learned regarding this was about their lifecycle. 

Tree bands used to capture spotted lanternflies
photo credits: treephilly.org

        Various characteristics of the spotted lanternfly lifecycle contribute to the way these organisms spread rapidly. Completed in one year, lanternflies move through four different nymph stages before becoming adults. After laying egg masses in the fall, adult lanternflies die. Once warm enough, first instar nymphs will hatch from the egg masses and go through two instar stages before changing color during the fourth one. The fifth and final molt will result in the emergence of adult spotted lanternflies which will remain alive from approximately July-December. Although they cannot fly until they are adults, the spotted lanternfly nymphs are still excellent jumpers, allowing them to move from place to place rapidly. Even with the ability to fly, adult spotted lanternflies still often resort to jumping as a way to get around. Unfortunately, this makes them very difficult to catch, kill, or otherwise control (one thing I can confirm from personal experience). The egg masses spotted lanternflies produce can also be laid on almost any hard surface, making them extremely easy to transport without realizing it. While I have not (to my knowledge) ever actually found an egg mass, I am aware that the extermination procedure includes scraping the egg mass off of its surface into a container and killing it with ethanol. While my science fair experiment collecting and killing them with pesticides was cool, I did not succeed in controlling any spotted lanternflies significantly. Incidentally, however, I have not seen as many recently as I saw the year of my experiment and the year after. I had somewhat forgotten about the threat of their spread until recently when I saw advertisements about stopping their spread in Indiana. Thanks to that, I write about these insects again today. If you see them, kill them, and stop the spread of spotted lanternflies today! 
Diagram of spotted lanternfly lifecycle
photo credits: PSU extension

“Spotted Lanternfly.” Penn State Extension, extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly. Accessed 18 May 2023.

“Spotted Lanternfly.” USDA APHIS | Spotted Lanternfly, 15 Feb. 2023, www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/sa_insects/slf.

“Spotted Lanternfly.” USDA APHIS | Spotted Lanternfly, www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-threat/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly. Accessed 18 May 2023.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mimicry: Being Masters of Disguise

By Anonymous -
Image
By: Cassidy Herbster, Cari Marota and Malik Mason  First to explain mimicry, it is copying another insect or inanimate object to aid in avoidance of predators and/or catching prey. There are two types of mimicry: batesian and mullerian. Batesian refers to when only the insect who is mimicking benefits while mullerian is when both the model and mimicking insect benefits. Most common way is with coloring. The colors of the bad tasting, venomous, or vicious insect is copied by a different insect to avoid being eaten by a predator, though the copy cat doesn't actually have that defense, it just appears so.  They also use coloring to blend in to catch prey or avoid being prey.  The insect being mimicked is called the model. Insects will not always only mimic other insects, but creatures such as arachnids or reptiles. Mimicry might not be for the whole lifetime of the insect. For example, the larvae of an insect could mimic a predator but grow up and not use mimicry as su...
Read more

Bear Lake Bog

By Anonymous -
Image
            A picture of a wetland bog from the Northern Hemisphere Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/p/176597/bog-biome               From lakeside dunes to old-growth white pine forests, Michigan is enriched with unique ecosystems. Although many of which have been claimed by society for agricultural and suburban means, portions of conserved land have been reserved for public recreation and admiration of wilderness. Wetland bogs are microcosms that serve as host to many unique organisms. While they used to be much more prevalent in the United States, they are still an important ecosystem in the US. This blog will expound on our class’s excursion to a bog named Bear Lake Bog.             Bear Lake Bog is located about six miles south of Au Sable campus and is found between the East Lakes and Bear Lake. We visited this bog on May 22, 2018. We broug...
Read more

Honey Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder

By -
Image
            Beginning in the winter of 2006 to 2007, beekeepers began to notice a significant decline in losses of their hives, as high as 30 to 90 percent for no apparent reason ( Kaplan, 2012 ). The population of honeybees continues to decline today. The disappearance of these honey bees is now known as the colony collapse disorder (or CCD). This is concerning because honeybees play an important role in the pollination of plants, especially for agriculture but the loss of honeybees doesn’t stop there. The honey that honeybees make has significant medicinal properties. Honey provides antioxidants, relief to colds, and when applied to scrapes or wounds, it aids the healing process with its natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties ( Shock, 2015 ). It promotes digestion. The loss of honeybees is not only a threat to biodiversity but the health of plants and people. Colony losses of managed ...
Read more