Feds, state invest millions in fighting invasive lanternfly
A lot of what you need to know about the spotted lanternfly, the latest in a long line of invasive Asian pests, is this: The state Department of Agriculture wants you to report any sightings to the email address Badbug@pa.gov.
That, and the fact that just three years after the first strikingly beautiful lanternfly was found in Berks County, it has spread to 13 counties and has risen to the top of the state’s invasive species public enemy list.
State and federal agriculture departments are taking the lanternfly threat seriously, ramping up efforts to limit its rapidly expanding range because it poses a $18 billion threat to the state’s agriculture economy.
Last week, as part of his 2018-19
state budget proposal, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed almost $1.6 million in dedicated funding to combat the invasive insect and protect agricultural commodities, especially grapes, apples, peaches, hops, blueberries and hardwood trees.
Also last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in response to requests for help from the state Agriculture Department and several members of the state’s congressional delegation, announced it would provide $17.5 million in emergency funding for efforts to control the bug. That’s on top of the $2.9 million it gave the state last year.
“We’ve seen a dramatic expansion in the range of this pest over the last year and we need to take decisive action to prevent the spotted lanternfly from spreading throughout Pennsylvania and into neighboring states,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in the release announcing the grant.
“We have the tools to fight this invasive insect and — together with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture — we have developed an area-wide approach that will begin before the pest starts to re-emerge in the spring.”
State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said battling the bug is a priority, and “it’s clear we need dedicated resources to mount an effective response plan.”
The lanternfly, an inchlong, black, red and white spotted insect, likely “hitchhiked” from its native range in India, Vietnam and China in packing materials. It was first identified in North America in Pennsylvania in September 2014. But studies of old egg masses indicate it has been in the area since 2012.
It has not been found in any other state but has rapidly expanded its range within Pennsylvania. In November, the state Department of Agriculture bumped up its quarantined area from six to 13 counties, all in the southeastern part of the state. The infested area jumped from 174 square miles in the summer of 2016 to approximately 3,000 square miles by the end of last summer.
The lanternfly is a strong planthopper. It feeds on the sap from woody and nonwoody plants, leaving behind a sweet fluid on leaves and stems that promotes mold. While it’s unclear if it kills its host, in South Korea, where it was accidentally introduced in 2006, it has resulted in severely decreased crop yields.
Left unchecked, the lanternfly, lycorma delicatula, could cripple the state’s $20.5 million grape, $134 million apple and $24 million stone fruit industries, the state Agriculture Department said, and damage the $12 billion hardwood timber industry.
“We are encouraged by the fact that we were able to limit the spread of the spotted lanternfly to the 13-county area of southeastern Pennsylvania during the first three years since its discovery,” said Bonnie McCann, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department. “By comparison, when the pest first entered South Korea — which is nearly the same size as Pennsylvania — they experienced a nationwide infestation within three years.”
The state and federal agriculture departments plan a two-pronged approach with the Food and Drug Administration through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, focusing on managing the pest along the outer perimeter of the infested area.
The state Agriculture Department will refocus its efforts on a tighter, threemile band surrounding the core infested area. The increased funding proposed by Mr. Wolf would allow the department to step up detection and eradication efforts, and coordinate multi-agency response, outreach and training.
The goal is to prevent further expansion of the infested area and start moving insects inward, while reducing the density of spotted lanternfly populations in the core-infested area. The greatest risk for expanding the lanternfly’s range comes from the transportation of materials that may contain egg masses, including firewood, lawn mowers and outdoor furniture. Moving those items from the quarantined counties to areas outside the quarantine is banned.
Ms. McCann said the state has been able to learn from control strategies attempted elsewhere, and received cooperation and support from federal, state, regional and local entities.
“Residents and businesses in the quarantined area have taken biosecurity measures seriously,” she said.
Part of the control strategy will focus on cutting and removing 90 percent of Chinese sumac trees, also known as Tree of Heaven. Removal of the trees, which are themselves invasive and are often found along railroad beds, interstate highways and other transportation corridors, is essential to keeping a next generation of lanternfly in check because it is believed the bug requires a meal from that tree before laying its eggs inthe tree.
A number of insecticides have also been identified as effective for killing the lanternfly.
Dave Wagner of Westgate Farms, a grape grower who also runs a winery in North East, Erie County, well away from the quarantined counties in the southeastern part of the state, said he is aware of the lanternfly threat.
“We know about it. I’m concerned,” he said. “But we’re still in the early stages of implementing controls.”
Counties under quarantine for the laternfly are Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill. The quarantine may be expanded to new areas if and when the bugs are found and confirmed, according to the state Agriculture Department. Intentional transport of the insect outside those counties is prohibited.