The ball dribbles by your hand, you grip the racquet tightly, beads of sweat drip one by one down your forehead towards the hard court, and your eyes are laser focused on your opponent. In the blistering summer, you are one point away from losing the tennis tiebreaker to your opponent, but deep inside of you, you just know the comeback is there. You take a deep breath, loosen your body in preparation for the serve, and your mind clears ever pristine…
Everything is just perfect, but the heavens have intervened with just one small, teensy thing. This thing flies out of nowhere, pestering your eyes, and your purified focus crumbles in just a split second. You double faulted, thereupon, you bash your racquet into the ground in a fit of rage and curl up in shame in the middle of the court.
That thing was actually a spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), notoriously known to be an invasive, ever-growing species taking over in the United States. The U.S. Wildlife Service claims that compared to the average invasive species, the spread of this species is far more rampant. First detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, they have now spread to 15+ states.
While they are not capable of eradicating the entirety of the United States, it is still important to understand what they are. This article will cover the properties of the spotted lanternfly, the effect of its sudden boom in the U.S., and what you should do if you run into one of these pests.
What are they?
According to the National Park Service, the spotted lanternfly mainly originates from China, with a few integrated in other East and South Asian countries. Ironically, it’s actually considered a plant hopper, not a fly, and it has its own life cycle from egg, nymph, to adult.
In appearance, the eggs take on a putty, muddy color commonly found on smooth surfaces (trees, vehicles, stones, etc.), and they are found in major clusters ranging from 30-50 eggs per mother. Sometimes, mothers will even lay 2 clusters per lifetime. The hatched nymph takes on a black, snooted beetle-like appearance coated in white dots, and they move around by hopping from plant to plant. At the latest stage of the nymph (also known as the fourth instar), they start to be dressed in red patches, signifying their transformation towards their winged adulthood that occurs after molting their skin. The adults take on a striking design with its forewings brown with black spots and dotted bands at the end, hindwings scarlet with black spots and black and white bars at the end, and an abdomen that is black and yellow.
For feeding, they are indiscriminate feasters of 100+ different plant species. Funnily enough, the species’ most preferred meal is the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which is also an invasive species native to China that spread into the United States. The insects feed by extracting plant sap out of young leaves and stem via their piercing mouth while excreting a honey dew that attracts other insects and black sooty mold. This stunts the growth of plants, while also initiating possible fungal infections. Also, both nymphs and adults feast in large groupings usually in the base or up a plant to be less visible to predators.
The lifespan of a spotted lanternfly is just one year, where they live as eggs mid-fall to late-spring and become mobile for the remainder of the time in hopes of laying their eggs sometimes between September and December. Lucky for us, all adults should approach death by the time it hits winter. With their high eggs per mother ratio, insatiable feasting, and flight, the adult form of spotted lanternflies are able to wreak havoc towards any unadapted plant life they lay upon.
What’s the impact?
The mobility of the spotted lanternfly is not the best, as the nymph form only traverses by hopping, and the adults only take on short-distance flights. Therefore, they most likely reached the U.S. on an accidental oversea carriage in the stationary egg form.
The species impact is surprising. It has actually affected the economy more noticeably than the environment due to its taste in crops, specifically grapes. Since the lanternfly typically only sucks the sap out and does not target a specific plant species, it rarely directly kills its plant host, but it does cause a nuisance with its honeydew and black soot. According to Cornell Integrated Pest Management, grapes are one of the most affected, and as an agricultural crop, this has caused economic issues such as “crop loss, exporting issues and increased management costs.”
Outside of crop yields, spotted lanternflies often harm native forests and can even destroy habitats for thousands of species, although there is currently still a lack of information on their impact on wildlife. Their hidden nature and high reproduction rate can also infest the lives of people.
Overall, with their honeydew, mold, and high breeding rate, spotted lanternflies are a major nuisance. They won’t sting you, they won’t bite you, and they certainly are not capable of wiping the United States off the map, but they are complicating the average Joe’s life.
The population is increasing every summer, so we should take action. Here’s what you should do when you run into any spotted lanternflies:
- If you see a cluster of eggs, please squish them and clean up any residue with a sanitized plastic bag.
- For major infestations, contact your local cooperate extension agent.
Save the tennis courts and grape fields. Thanks.
0
0
