Spotted Lanternflies have gained widespread attention after persistent calls to squash them on sight. But is the campaign effective? And as they move into the Northeast, what risk do they actually pose?
Read the full transcript below:
ANNIE BENNETT: This is Northeast Notebook from WAMC. I'm Annie Bennett.
RACHEL MOORE: They're coming for the apples. They're coming for the beer. They're coming for our maple syrup.
ANNIE BENNETT: Spotted lanternflies. The invasive bugs are originally native to Asia. Since they're in the United States, they've been steadily creeping up the Northeast.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: Um, in Albany itself, in the port district along the Hudson River, we're seeing more of them.
ANDY WEBER: Pennsylvania, yes, I've heard stories that it's, it's gone through and it has severely damaged some of the vineyards down there.
ANNIE BENNETT: So, what does the spread of the spotted lanternfly mean for farmers and fruit growers? And are public campaigns to manage the pests proving effective?
ANNIE BENNETT: Andy Weber owns the Northern Cross Vineyard in Valley Falls, New York. He loves his job.
ANDY WEBER: So, so it's, it's a treasure, right? It's generally, it's those great September days. You know, it's maybe a little bit brisk in the morning. The sun is out. And you just keep going down the rows and picking these, uh, you know, I wanna say these beautiful clusters of grapes and dropping them into the bin.
ANNIE BENNETT: But there's a looming threat to his Washington County winery, getting closer and closer every day.
RACHEL MOORE: They're coming for the apples. They're coming for the beer. They're coming for our maple syrup.
ANNIE BENNETT: The 'they' in question? spotted lanternflies.
RACHEL MOORE: I'm Rachel Moore. I'm a state worker. I currently live out in Voorheesville, New York, and I am a bit of a tree hugger.
ANNIE BENNETT: I found Rachel on Reddit. She posted a picture of the bug, about an inch long with polka-dot grey and red wings and - or what was left of it after her deadly "smush."
RACHEL MOORE: I immediately stepped on it.
ANNIE BENNETT: What I didn't realize when I messaged Rachel was her employment history with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC has its own campaign urging state residents to smash the bugs and Rachel was a part of it.
RACHEL MOORE: There was a lot of materials that we put out about spotted lanternflies five, six years ago, but it seems like their spread northward has become sort of inevitable, and it's really disheartening.
ANNIE BENNETT: Well, what was, like, the strategy decision behind, like, doing, like, the squash campaign?
RACHEL MOORE: I think trying to involve people as much as possible, that it wasn't just science being done in a laboratory behind closed doors by people in white lab coats, but something that anybody could help with.
ANNIE BENNETT: Lately, experts have questioned the efficacy of stepping on them to prevent their northern migration.
RACHEL MOORE: I think that there's some division as to how effective that is. Stepping on one doesn't necessarily wipe them all out but it does take care of that one.
ANNIE BENNETT: But Rachel says the collective sense of responsibility helps keep people's interest.
But what threat do they actually pose? And what do the bugs even do besides hang out on trees and sidewalks?
BRIAN ESHENAUR: Spotted lanternfly really pose a threat to, uh, grapevines, and in New York State, the wine and grape industry, including tourism, are a big part of the agriculture economy.
ANNIE BENNETT: Brian Eshenaur is the Invasive Species Coordinator for Cornell University's Integrated Pest Management Program.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: Sometimes spotted lanternfly feed in large numbers, and when they feed, they, uh, tap into the pipework of the tree, pull out water and nutrients. Some are filtered. The rest comes through their body as honeydew and that honeydew rains down whatever is below it. It can be washed off things like cars. It's basically sugar water. But it can be a nuisance. It attracts yellow jackets and honeybees and there's an increased sting threat from their presence.
ANNIE BENNETT: David Brooks has covered the annoying insects' arrival in New England for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire.
DAVID BROOKS: The spotted lanternfly was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014. Now, it's in New York and Massachusetts, Connecticut, all over the place...
Uh, right now there's no particular sign that it'll stop spreading until basically it gets far enough north that winters will stop it. It can be particularly bad for certain plants, and the one that matters economically is grapes.
ANNIE BENNETT: So if you don't own a vineyard, why should you care about these?
DAVID BROOKS: Well, you, you should always care about any invasive that's reproducing wildly because they upset the ecosystem, and you don't really know what effects that's going to have.
ANNIE BENNETT: But New York has a lot of invasive species. Why do these guys get all the attention? Here's Brian at Cornell.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: Yeah, I think, uh, one of the reasons there's been so much interest in spotted lanternfly is because it's brand new. We haven't seen an insect like this.
It can sometimes occur in large numbers. It's relatively large. It's got polka dots on its, uh, wings, its outer wings, and its underwings are a reddish orange color. So it really stands out, and especially when you see them in the large numbers, can be somewhat disconcerting.
ANNIE BENNETT: Andy Weber hasn't seen the bug at the Northern Cross Vineyard...yet...
ANDY WEBER: So right now, a lot of - at least for this part is waiting for it to get here, you know? In Pennsylvania - yes, I've heard stories that it's, it's gone through and it has severely damaged some of the vineyards down there. So yes, definitely concerned.
ANNIE BENNETT: That's the sound of squashing grapes, not bugs. But as far as vineyards and other growers go, the National Park Service says that it's difficult to measure the damage the bugs have already caused. However, in Pennsylvania alone, the potential economic impact was estimated at $324 million per year -- that's according to a study released in 2019.
Meantime, the fly continues to creep up the Hudson River Valley.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: It, um, was located in Albany a few years ago, but its populations have really built. Uh, Ravena was one of the first locations in the Albany area to have a larger population. Um, in Albany itself, in the port district along the Hudson River, we're seeing more of them. And the furthest north in the Albany region is in Schenectady along the Mohawk River.
DAVID BROOKS: If you get a whole bunch of these new insects in your community, they might be replacing other insects that are being fed on or that are fed on by something you like, or that are supporting some plant systems you like. It's just when something changes this quickly, it's almost always, frankly, for the worse.
That alone is a reason to be worried. More - more importantly, it's, it's symptomatic of something that just keeps happening.
ANNIE BENNETT: David is referring to the ongoing trend of invasive species coming to North America and impacting native ecosystems -- something that really took off in the late 19th century and continues to this day...
But the squash 'em campaign is just one part of how the region is fighting back against the incoming infestation.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: Maybe even more importantly than individually smashing the insect is to check your vehicles.
New York State Ag- Agriculture and Markets still wants to know, um, about them, so they're asking anybody who sees spotted lanternfly to report it.
DAVID BROOKS: There's no bio-control that we know of. I mean, you can spray big insecticides, but that's not a very easy way to, to handle it. There is one thing that people can do to slow the spread. Its favorite host plant is called the tree of heaven. When you have tree of heaven, you are more likely to get a quicker infestation by spotted lanternfly.
So one of the ways to fight the in - invasive insect is to fight the invasive plant, the tree of heaven.
RACHEL MOORE: Don't move firewood.
I've also recently heard that growing milkweed helps because milkweed is poisonous to most insects except for monarch butterflies. So I have heard a rumor that if you grow milkweed, the lanternflies will eat it, and then they will die.
ANNIE BENNETT: Despite the fear of the insect that's become the poster child for invasive species, there's no need to panic if you see one.
BRIAN ESHENAUR: We like to make the point that they don't bite, they don't sting, and they don't become household pests. They cannot survive indoors for longer than about 48 hours. So, um, they're a nuisance outside, and they can look pretty alarming, but it's important to remember they don't pose a threat to us or our pets.
RACHEL MOORE: But spotted lanternfly was something, is something that we hope we can still eradicate, so squish 'em.
ANNIE BENNETT: Northeast Notebook is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Our Executive Producer is Lucas Willard. Our editor is Diane DeVore. Original music by Eduardo Rivera. Wine-making sounds courtesy of Hemmer Vineyards and Infinite Gardening on YouTube. Consider subscribing to Northeast Notebook wherever you get your podcasts. And hey, if you like the show, take a second to rate and review; it really does help others find us. And today's show was produced and hosted by me, Annie Bennett. Thanks for listening.
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