Maryland — Now is the time to start swatting spotted lanternflies if you see them in Maryland, one of 17 states where the destructive grasshoppers are established.
In Maryland, the spotted lanternfly was first found in 2018 in Cecil County. It has since spread to Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Washington counties and to the city from Baltimore.
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Other states where lanternflies have been confirmed include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, according to the USDA .
Adult insects have polka dot forewings and deep red underwings, giving them a distinctive appearance. Although it has the charm of a butterfly, the appearance of the insect is deceiving. Voracious eaters, spotted lanternflies feed on around 100 species of plants and trees, including economically important crops such as grapevines, apple orchards, and ornamental landscape hops, along with multiple species of trees.
The honeydew they secrete when they feed on plants causes soot to grow, blocking photosynthesis in the leaves, stressing the plant and potentially killing it.
What to look for
At this time, the nymphs are black with white spots. But any time through September, they will take on a distinctive red coloration and grow to about an inch long and half an inch wide. As adults, you may not see the red flash until they take flight. While resting, grayish forewings with black spots cover the colorful hindwings.
People who see spotted lanternflies at any stage should destroy them. Some states, including New York, are telling residents to stomp on and squish the pests.
In Maryland, the Department of Agriculture issued a quarantine for 20 counties where the spotted lanternfly is present. The goal of the quarantine is to stop the spread of the plague to other counties.
“All other life stages of this insect, from nymphs to adults, can fly, jump or land on a vehicle, meaning vehicles and equipment can help it spread easily and quickly,” state officials said. . “Therefore, quarantining an area that is infested with the spotted lanternfly means that any materials or objects that may harbor the pest cannot be moved without taking precautions to prevent its spread.”
Due to the quarantine, items including yard or construction waste, packaging materials, plants, and outdoor items require a permit to move into or out of the quarantine area.
An adult female can lay a pair of egg masses, each containing 30 to 60 eggs, allowing populations to grow exponentially, so it is important to kill them before they can establish another generation of pests.
The spotted lanternfly, which appeared in Pennsylvania in 2014, spreads much more quickly than other invasives. It only took a decade for it to spread to 17 states.
By comparison, it took nearly 100 years for the invasive fluffy moth to spread from Massachusetts and New York, Matthew Gallo, of the Finger Lakes chapter of the Association for Regional Invasive Species Management, told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Concern extends to West Coast
The concern extends beyond states where spotted lanternflies are established. They can jump impressive distances with their powerful legs and fly short distances, allowing them to quickly travel 3 or 4 miles, according to experts. They are also hitchhikers. Adults can fly into open vehicle windows, into collection bins, and into the back of trucks while being loaded and lay their eggs on almost any surface;
The importance of quarantines and reporting was underscored last week when California Border Protection authorities stopped and turned back after discovering 30 spotted lanternfly egg masses in the art installation the truck was transporting from New York. Egg masses, which may look like mud pies, are easily transported by trailers, RVs, semi-trailers, containers, trains and other forms of shipping and transportation.
The truck was headed to Sonoma County in California, the state’s main wine-producing region.
States across the country are working on action plans with the assumption that spotted lanternflies will eventually establish themselves in their areas.
Officials in Oregon, a state that invests heavily in the wine, apple, beer and hardwood industries, are equally concerned after the 2020 discovery of two spotted lanternflies in shipments from Pennsylvania.
Last year, agricultural and related agencies in Washington, which has industries similar to Oregon’s, developed an action plan to address the pest. Without intervention, the spotted lanternfly could establish itself in Washington by 2033.
“Due to its risk of spread…it is imperative to be vigilant about this pest, which is potentially the worst invasive the United States has seen in several decades,” the Nebraska Forest Service warned five years ago.
Nebraska had not and has not confirmed any reports of the invasive insect, but “we would rather have false alarms than have an infestation go undetected for several years,” the Forest Service said.
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