Pest glossary for agriculture continues to expand

Just when we thought all the colorful names for agricultural pests had been chosen we find one more, the spotted lanternfly.

It’s a flickering reminder pests persist, and sometimes those with names hardest to pronounce or most colorful can be the most troublesome.

We were just getting used to pronouncing the disease carried by the unimaginatively named Asian citrus psyllid – huanlongbing, loosely translated or defined as a decline, but eventually sure death, for otherwise healthy citrus trees. As a psyllid this pest has dodged widespread identification as a household visitor

Knowing huanlongbing disease practically devastated the citrus industry in Florida a few years ago, researchers, growers and citrus industry leaders in California are in full battle gear to determine how to detect and control it. Detector dogs with Florida experience are being imported to identify trees that have hosted the disease-carrying insect.

With plenty of other pests and disease to be concerned about, the citrus industry reluctantly shares identification with another common pest in California, the navel orangeworm, which isn’t really a serious pest of oranges, lemons, grapefruit and other citrus fruits. It can be a killer though in the nut crops, particularly almonds, and some deciduous fruit orchards if not carefully controlled.

Agricultural pests sometimes cause disruptions and concern beyond the orchards and farms where they thrive. A few short decades ago, when Jerry Brown was serving the second of his four terms as California’s governor, the Mediterranean fruit fly reached alarming proportions in many California orchards. A full-scale aerial spraying attack was launched to isolate and control it – even in metropolitan Southern California — avoiding wide-scale establishment of the pest and its economic devastation.

California is endowed with a battalion of agricultural pest fighters and detectors, scientists with worldwide experience, nearly all of them affiliated with the University of California. Their experience often includes worldwide hunts for the predators and enemies of pests and disease that might threaten the imported maladies of the state’s valuable crops

The spotted lanternfly first attracted the attention of people in agriculture in 2014, when its characteristic behavior of gathering in large numbers was noted by insect experts in Pennsylvania. Its natural attribute for clinging tightly to smooth surfaces enabled it to be transported unknowingly by long-haul trucks. California was a natural arrival point.

One of the insect’s natural protections is its beauty. Its colorful spotted wings cause unaware viewers to doubt it can be destructive since it is so pretty, and apparently peaceful. Also it’s so small, even delicate in structure and appearance it projects an attitude of friendliness and belonging.

But it does get hungry – often. Its incessant search for nourishment leads it to the sweet, juicy, soft texture and taste of ripening fruit. It’s known to feed on at least 70 different fruit (and perhaps vegetable) varieties, so it might be found anywhere in the California cafeteria of food.

Another of its natural appetites is sex, especially if potential mates are close by, and the gathering instinct of the specie makes that a practical cinch. Some discussion has been given to the application of mating disruption as a means of control. Rearing and releasing sterile males which mate with lanternfly females without impregnating them as applied with other damaging insects has been effective.

Arrival of the lanternfly is a strong reminder to farmers, their friends in the Agricultural Extension Service and entomologists at all levels dangerous and destructive pests are lurking at all times. The lanternfly’s good looks aren’t likely to protect it or make it attractive in California agriculture’s vast domain.