By Andi Anderson
Several counties are currently under quarantine due to the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly.
This quarantine, overseen by the Department of Agriculture, is aimed at controlling the movement of plant material to prevent further spread of the pest.
Dan Kenny, Chief of the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Health, explained that the quarantine primarily targets businesses that transport plant materials, such as logs and nursery stock, across county lines.
“Businesses that, primarily, deal with plant materials like logs, or nursery stock, we ask them to sign up on a compliance agreement,” said Kenny. “So we, we throw some additional requirements, on shipments from those areas to try to mitigate any chance of spotted lanternfly moving out from Ohio to, say, over to Indiana or farther out.”
Currently, the spotted lanternfly does not have a natural predator in Ohio, which could allow its population to continue growing.
“It’s possible that that something will, you know, learn to learn to love to eat spotted lanternfly,” Kenny said. “We’ve seen a little bit of that with like, woodpeckers with … emerald ash borer where they do kind of learn that, like, ‘okay, we can eat this thing.'”
Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is collaborating with the USDA to develop a treatment plan along transportation routes.
According to Matthew Travis, the Spotted Lanternfly Program National Policy Manager, the USDA is working on developing biological control methods, including a parasitoid, to limit the need for pesticides.
“It takes a lot more work to develop it to ensure that it’s not going to parasitize any native insect species,” said Travis. “It’s very important that we do our due diligence and really test the insect, test the parasitoid to make sure that it’s safe, [so] when we get to that that step where we’re able to start doing some limited releases that we’re not going to be affecting the environment or the native insect population negatively.”
Unlike other invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, the spotted lanternfly does not immediately harm plants but can become a nuisance due to the sticky honeydew it secretes.
The insect poses a significant threat to vineyards, maple farms, and beekeepers due to its impact on crops like grapes and maple syrup production.
Efforts to control the spotted lanternfly include removing egg sacs, using insecticides, and eliminating the insect’s preferred host tree, the invasive Ailanthus altissima, or tree of heaven.
Photo Credits: pennsylvania-department-of-agriculture
Categories: Ohio, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables