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Conservation dogs find invasive species in Mahwah

Joshua Beese, Conservation Dog Handler, is shown during a demonstration at the NY/NJ Trail Conference, in Mahwah. Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Kevin R. Wexler, NorthJersey

For most of the summer at the urging of public officials, New Jerseyans have been trying to stomp the spotted lanternfly out of existence in an effort to prevent them from damaging trees and crops. 

But as they begin to lay egg masses this month, efforts to eradicate the invasive insect are proving to be no match for their ability to grow. Experts say the bug, a native of Asia, is here to stay and its population will have to be managed to stem the threat to agriculture.

“We’re clearly not stopping it from spreading,” said Daniel Strombom, a mathematician and professor in Lafayette College’s biology department who has spent months examining the lanternfly’s growth. “Just look at the spread pattern. Look at the growth. We are at a point where we have to manage the population.”

After first being found in eastern Pennsylvania seven years ago, clusters of spotted lanternflies have been found in at least 87 counties in 10 Northeast and Midwest states, although experts suspect they are far more widespread.

In August alone, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture received almost 10,000 emails and phone calls concerning the pest. The reports prompted state officials to expand its quarantine now to 13 counties: Morris, Monmouth, Middlesex, Essex, Union, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, Somerset and Warren.

But quarantines are proving little match as other counties have seen an invasion. Swarms have even made their way to the urban confines of Hoboken and Jersey City in Hudson County. 

More where that came from: Here are five of the most harmful invasive insects that have wreaked havoc in New Jersey

Environment: NJ is being overrun by foreign insect invaders. These are the people trying to stop them

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“The spotted lanternfly is such a great hitchhiker on almost any type of transportation, this includes even buses and trains,” said Jeff Wolfe, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture. “It’s not unusual for the insect to make its way into urban areas where there is a high amount of vehicle traffic and other transportation methods.”

New Jersey is both a perfect breeding ground and waypoint for the bug thanks to the state’s role as an international trade hub where millions of shipping containers are unloaded each year and as a domestic transportation corridor for points north, south and west. A rugged invasive species like the spotted lanternfly is able to hitch a ride, establish a foothold in a new land and multiply exponentially.

What do spotted lanternflies do?

Spotted lanternflies love to feed on the tree of heaven. But in their absence, they will suck the sap from as many as 70 plant species, especially fruit trees. More sap production from the tree, along with the bug’s own excrement, draws other insects like wasps and ants to feed and promotes mold growth. That one-two punch can weaken the tree and eventually contribute to its death.

So far the damage in New Jersey has been limited to vineyards where wine producers have seen the lanternflies feed on the sap in grapevines, said Peter Furey, executive director of the New Jersey Farm Bureau.

“Growers must treat the vines to fend them off,” he said.

State and federal authorities have 20 two-person crews treating areas throughout New Jersey but cannot respond to every reported sighting.

Spotted lanternfly reporting

A public campaign this summer to “Beat the Bug!” and “Stomp It Out!” has helped bring awareness of the bug to the general public. And while some streets are littered with the carcasses of squashed lanternflies, it probably won’t make much of a dent in the population.  

“It’s virtually impossible to wipe them out at this point,” said Matthew Aardema, a Montclair State University entomologist, who has encountered clusters on hikes deep into New Jersey forests. “It’s a persistent species that can feed on a variety of different plant species. They will continually radiate out.”

A study by a team led by Strombom at Lafayette College estimated that about 35% of all lanternflies would need to be killed this year in order for their population to go into decline next year. One lanternfly will give rise to five to six in the coming year under the current trend, the study shows.

Milestone in spotted lanternfly stages of life

September marks an important time in the lanternfly’s life cycle. Females lay about 100 eggs each from late September through November. The adult lanterflies don’t survive winter but the eggs do, hatching around May. The bugs reach adulthood by summer, when they develop red patches on their wings.

“The key right now, is to keep them from spreading and to keep their numbers down in areas where they currently occur,” said Josephine Antwi, an entomologist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. “By destroying egg masses in the winter, we keep the number of the following generation down.”

Spotted Lanternfly spread

The number of counties in the U.S. where the spotted lanternfly has been detected. 

  • 2021: 87 
  • 2020: 77
  • 2019: 40
  • 2018: 19
  • 2017: 13
  • 2016: 6

The spotted lanternfly has been found in at least 10 states though experts suspect they are far more widespread: New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio.

Source: Lafayette College, USDA 

Scott Fallon has covered the COVID-19 pandemic since its onset in March 2020. To get unlimited access to the latest news about the pandemic’s impact on New Jersey,  please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @newsfallon 

Source: Asbury Park

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