Delaware Scientists May Have A Spotted Lanternfly Solution
Delaware Scientists May Have A Spotted Lanternfly Solution
Summer is here and that means SPOTTED LANTERNFLIES!
Another few months of collecting the beautiful yet invasive species in order to save plants and trees.
The invasive species has been in our are for a decade already and it seems like the only solution to ridding our area of them is stepping on them or collecting them in a water bottle.
The spotted lanternfly is from parts of Asia and is non-native to Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. There are no natural predators in our are so they basically run unchecked.
According to CBS researchers from Delaware travelled to Asia and brought back some natural predators to the spotted lanternfly.
University of Delaware researchers have identified two tiny parasitic wasps that specifically seek out and attack adolescent lanternflies in their native country of China.
The first of these of these wasps is a small parasitic wasp that attacks lanternfly eggs, and the second is another parasitic wasp a little bit larger that attacks the younger nymphal stages after the eggs hatched.(CBS Philly)
Luckily these wasps do not sting humans! Researchers say that government approval for research on these parasites is years away so the solution isn’t immediate.
“Spotted lanternfly feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees, with tree-of-heaven being one of the preferred hosts. Spotted lanternflies are invasive and can be spread long distances by people who move infested material or items containing egg masses. Juvenile spotted lanternflies, known as nymphs, and adults prefer to feed on the invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) but also feed on a wide range of crops and plants, including grapes, apples, hops, walnuts and hardwood trees” the US Department of Agriculture says.
Officials say you should try and destroy the spotted lanternfly if you do see it on your property.
Delaware Scientists May Have A Spotted Lanternfly Solution
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