Bad bug may sneak in on Xmas trees
A pesky bug is wreaking havoc on Christmas trees across the Northeast — and it could soon hitch a ride to the Big Apple.
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect native to China and Southeast Asia, has been destroying maples and pines across Pennsylvania — and it could ravage New York’s forests if the federal government doesn’t act fast, Sen. Chuck Schumer warned Sunday.
“This little critter looks nice, but he’s no lovebug,” Schumer (photo) said, speaking before a row of Christmas trees in the lobby of the building where his Midtown office is located.
“They hadn’t been spotted in New York until 2014, but now in many states — particularly Pennsylvania, which sends us a lot of our Christmas trees — they are an infestation.”
The Department of Agriculture has allocated $17.5 million to help the Keystone State turn out the lights on the polka-dotted plant-hopper, which is said to feed “like a vampire” on the sap of over 70 plant species, including maples, willows, lindens, and pines.
Schumer (D-N.Y.), who noted the bug has already been seen in Suffolk County and Albany, called on the federal government to allocate funding, resources and technical expertise to New York City, where over 600,000 trees could be in danger. “If we do nothing about them, trees in Central Park, on the streets of New York City and in our beautiful leafy suburbs could very well be at risk,” he said.
Christmas is an especially crucial time of year to be on the lookout for the bug as trees imported from other states may be carrying eggs that could later hatch under the right weather conditions.
“Any chance for some of these unwelcome bugs to hitch a free ride to Manhattan is a chance we cannot take,” Schumer said.