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| Laternaria candelaria" by Richard Ling - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
The Spotted Lantern Fly, Lycorma delicatula, seems to have touched down inside the US for the first time ever in September of 2014. Pennsylvanians are especially not welcoming this new species with open arms. This small, but harmful insect to grape, fruit tree, and logging industries, is causing Berks County, PA to issue a full quarantine in attempts to stop the spread of this insect. This quarantine was put in place to restrict the movement of goods that this insect would reside on. As a student at Muhlenberg College, which is located in the Lehigh County, I am yet to come in contact with this new insect. However, Allentown is only about 30 miles away from Bucks County, which bodes for the possibility of seeing this new insect if quarantine and extermination protocols fail.
Originally, the Spotted Lantern Fly is native to parts of Southeast Asia. This insect is not very large at all; it is approximately one inch long and about a half inch wide. Their small stature does not reflect the amount of damage that they are capable of. Officials say that these plant hoppers have the potential to kill more than 50 plant species; more specifically grape, apple, stone fruit, and logging industries.
The Spotted Lantern Fly hit Berks County in late September of 2014. What they have been doing was they lay between 30 and 50 eggs wherever they can find a flat surface. This poses a major agricultural issue because that is their main food source, and if they can lay about 50 eggs anytime they have a flat surface, plants do not stand a chance
against them. Residents and businesses in the area have been informed of quarantine protocols and will be subject to a large fine, around $20,000, if they do not abide by their instruction! This is a huge issue. Could you imagine if this insect was able to spread across the country? What would the agriculture status be nationwide?
This insect is extremely interesting. It amazes me that such a small insect could do so much harm to the environment. I also think that the Spotted Lantern Fly is aesthetically pleasing. When their wings are spread (as shown in the picture to the left) they have lighter forewings and redish hind wings with black spots. It is a shame that they are so harmful because I would have enjoyed looking at them daily.
This post by Michael Giordano is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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