Lanternfly Invasion Wreaking Havok

USDA

The USDA called the invasion of the spotted Lanternfly one of the worst attacks of a bug in the last hundred years. Lanternflies traveled from Asia to America and is already spreading all along the east coast.

“This is an example of a plant, the Tree of Heaven, and this is what attracts the Spotted Lanternfly. You can see the leave shapes are a little bit thumb like,” said Amanda Scheetz of Sustainability Matters Virginia.

The Lanternfly is also attracted to grape vines, apple trees, and peach trees.

“Those are a huge industry for the Shenandoah Valley,” said Scheetz.

“The USDA and the Virginia Department of Agriculture are working together to try to eradicate it. Hopefully, before it spreads to people like us who have crops and things like that,” said Katherine Solenberger. Katherine is the owner of Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill Orchard.

An adult lanternfly’s wings are drab white with black spots and a bright red underside.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

This February, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that his department was committing $17.5 million to stem the lanternfly’s spread. In a sense, it was already too late. The lanternfly had been spotted in New York a few months earlier. Also, it was spotted in Virginia weeks before. Three New Jersey counties are under quarantine after confirmed sightings in July. Delaware and Maryland are both on alert.

State and federal entomologists have recommended a few containment strategies. But, they don’t yet have a foolproof way to kill, or even count, the bug. If they can’t find a solution, lanternflies could infest forests all along the Atlantic seaboard. Thus, giving communities from New England to Florida an intimate look at what Penn State entomologist Tom Baker calls “the weirdest, most pernicious insect I’ve ever seen.”

If you spot something like a lantern fly, be quick to call a pest control specialist to stop it’s spread. Do your part to protect Florida.