The Cleveland-Akron metro area is ranked 11th among U.S. metro areas likely to be impacted by the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect species that has the ability to impact crop production, according to TruGreen, a national lawn care company.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture reported findings of spotted lanternflies, a species native to Asia, in Cuyahoga, Jefferson and Lorain counties in 2021. But the species’ reach is likely greater now, experts say.
“Now we're seeing, ‘Oh, wait, it's popping up in Franklin. Oh, it's in Toledo. Oh, it's in Lucas County.’ We’re seeing all of these pop-ups,” said Ashley Leach, an entomologist at Ohio State University.
The study also named Youngstown and Columbus among the top 20 affected cities nationwide.
The insects were first found in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have since spread to Ohio, Delaware, Virginia and New Jersey. When fully grown, they can be identified by their black and white spotted wings and red abdomen.
In 2021, the ODA designated spotted lanternflies a destructive plant pest under Ohio law because they have the potential to impact agriculture.
“It's not an insect that's going to come through, chew (a) plant to death and just kill it,” Leach said. “That's not going to happen. It's kind of like a vampire. Like a very tiny vampire over a really long time is going to cause a problem.
Source: ideastream.org
Photo Credit: pennsylvania-department-of-agriculture
Categories: Ohio, Crops