Invasive lanternflies are back in Md.
Everything you need to know about insect
Lanternflies are back.
The invasive species started creeping into Maryland last year, causing state officials to sound the alarm after it wreaked havoc in Pennsylvania. The Maryland Department of Agriculture said in a statement earlier this month that small populations of lanternflies were found in the upper northeast corner of Cecil County and northern border of Harford County during area surveys.
“Due to its potentially devastating effects on the agriculture industry, treating for this invasive insect now is critical to controlling its spread in Maryland and protecting our state’s agricultural commodities,” Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joseph Bartenfelder said.
Lanternflies were first spotted in Pennsylvania five years ago, prompting Maryland officials to be on the lookout because of the close proximity. The invasive species feeds on more than 70 crops and plants, including grapes and oak trees. While Maryland hasn’t seen huge amounts of damage, experts have said in previous years that the lanternfly caused more damage in less time than any invasive insect to arrive in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Here’s what experts say Maryland residents need to know:
What is a lanternfly?
The spotted lanternfly, also known as lycorma delicatula, evolves in appearance as it passes through five developmental stages.
During its first few weeks, it resembles a shiny black jewel covered with white spots. The spots are replaced by a brilliant red by midsummer. When the lanternfly reaches adulthood, it’s about an inch long and half an inch wide, and its grayish-brown wings — mottled with black spots — frame a bumblebee-yellow body.
Notoriously poor f l yers, lanternflies flash bright red underwings when they hop or run, a practice believed to help ward off potential predators.
Where do they come from?
Lanternflies — native to China, Vietnam and parts of India — first appeared in the United States more than five years ago, when a shipment of stone from Asia arrived in Berks County, Pa., with lanternfly eggs attached.
Since then, lanternflies, having no known natural predators in the Mid-Atlantic region, exploded in population in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s agriculture department has placed 14 counties under quarantine as the invasive species continues to spread. Residents of those counties must secure permits before transporting across county lines any of several dozen items, including mulch, tree bark, decorative stone, tractors, barbecues and toys that have been kept outside. So far, Maryland does not have any businesses or homes under quarantine.
The invasive species has started to run so rampant across Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Police Department recently tweeted a plea: Stop calling about lanternflies.
“Please do NOT call 911 to report #SpottedLanternfly sightings,” the Sept. 12 tweet said. “While they are a nuisance, they are not a police issue.”
Why are lanternflies a big deal?
The spotted lanternfly appears to have caused more damage in less time than any invasive insect to arrive in the Mid-Atlantic region, and it’s proliferating rapidly.
It feasts on more host plants than expected, reproduces more quickly than anticipated, and faces no known native predators. It also latches onto a wide variety of hard surfaces, allowing it to travel to parts unknown aboard cars, trucks and trains.
The damage to those plant species starts with the lanternfly’s feeding style. Rather than consuming leaves, bark or fruit, the lanternfly uses its specialized mouth parts to penetrate a plant’s exterior, then sucks out the sweet, life-giving sap inside. This weakens the plants, leaving them vulnerable as winter looms.
For instance, lanternflies rob grapes of so much sweetness that farmers can’t bring them to market. And the insects’ gooey excretion, or “honeydew,” attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants. It also sticks to houses, decks, railings and patios in infested areas.
In 2018, the threat of a lanternfly invasion factored into the failure of a proposal to ban a pesticide in Maryland that has been linked to autism and developmental delays in children.
But earlier this spring and summer, the state’s agriculture department found a “small population” of the invasive species at multiple sites in the upper northeast corner of Cecil County and along the northern border of Harford County during a survey in the area.
The pest’s favorite host plant is the a deciduous sumac also known as the tree of heaven. This plant, also native to China, first arrived in the Philadelphia area in 1784 and has since proliferated in much of the United States. However, researchers say, it’s only one of the species on which lanternflies gather to feed and reproduce.
Spotted lanternflies feed on more than 70 types of plants and crops, including grapes, hops, apples and peaches, as well as oak and pine trees.
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