After a decade of living with spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, some things are better than we feared, and some are worse. But all that stomping helped
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What you should know
- Spotted lanternfly is a sap-sucking planthopper that harms native trees, shrubs, and plants. Local officials and scientists encourage residents to kill the insect on sight.
- While lanternflies aren’t as destructive to hard wood trees (used for timber) as previously expected, they are devastating to Pa.’s billion-dollar grape and wine industry.
- Inspect a property for signs of lanternfly, squash the bug whenever seen, and call specialists if trees and plants begin to show signs of lanternfly activity.
When lanternflies were first discovered in Berks County in 2014, panic set in among the country and region’s top scientists. They feared the insect would devastate Pennsylvania’s robust farming, lumber, and grape industries. A 2019 study projected annual costs of damage could reach $324 million and result in the loss of 2,800 jobs across agricultural industries.
Researchers from Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences used an economic assessment software program to estimate potential damage and said in the worst-case scenario the damage could climb to half a billion dollars annually.
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According to Brian Walsh, a Penn State lanternfly researcher, these concerns stemmed from the fact that the lanternfly had zero natural predators in the U.S., their affinity for fruit and timber trees could jeopardize billions of dollars in economic activity, and they could easily spread by hitching a ride on cargo and vehicles.
“I mean, look, it made it to Pennsylvania from China in one shot,” Walsh said. Lanternflies invaded the U.S. attached to a stone shipment sent to a local landscaping company.
The concern was enough to turn Philly into a unified band of bug stompers. But did it work?
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