Nov. 12, 2021
By Gianfranco Martinez
Staff Writer
With autumn in full swing, many of summer’s pesky insects have disappeared, but one that remains is the spotted lanternfly. This species could do serious damage to the grape, orchard and logging industries, so when a person sees a spotted lanternfly, it is best to crush it.
Biology teacher Dr. Dunn said he has seen the spotted lanternfly in LHS’ parking lot, by Riverside Park and elsewhere in the tristate. He said he reacted to the insects by analyzing their mannerisms. Dunn said he held a spotted lanternfly in his hand to watch it move and walk around.
“[They are] absolutely beautiful creatures. [I am] sorry that they’re not in the right place at the right time, that we have to kill them because they’re causing problems to the major crops in this area,” Dunn said. “They shouldn’t have been brought here, and with the problem when you have a creature that’s not indigenous or natural to a region, you don’t have many predators that keep them in check.”
Dunn said the spotted lanternfly has not been a major threat this year because it arrived as the seasons were changing.
“Most of them aren’t going to last the wintertime,” Dunn said. “I thought the tent caterpillars were a more drastic threat to our area of this deciduous biome than the lanternfly.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spotted lanternflies feed on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees.
“Lanternflies are one of the leading invasive species that we are concerned about at this time in the United States, especially on the Northeast coast.”
Dunn said the key to controlling the spotted lanternfly’s population will be to figure out which trees they seem to use the most [by sucking out the sap from leaves, stems or trunks] and then interrupt their reproductive cycle.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, a watershed restoration partnership, the spotted lanternfly produces an excretion called honeydew that can grow mold or attract other insects, further damaging the trees.
Ms. Manzella, who teaches biology and environmental science, said she has seen the lanternfly around Rutherford and in and around Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
“Lanternflies are one of the leading invasive species that we are concerned about at this time in the United States, especially on the Northeast coast,” Manzella said.
She said killing the spotted lanternflies when you see them is one way to control the population. She said another alternative would be to identify a natural predator of the lanternfly or use adhesive to protect tree trunks.
“This could also have the unintended consequences of trapping other types of insects. [Therefore,] it has been suggested to also use a mesh covering over the tape to try and prevent trapping other species,” Manzella said.
Senior Sarah Gabriel said when she first encountered the spotted lanternfly, she didn’t think anything of it.
“The first time I saw one was when I was in Pennsylvania visiting my brother,” Gabriel said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website, the spotted lanternfly is native to China. The first time it was detected in the United States was in Pennsylvania in September 2014. Spotted lanternflies have migrated when people moved infested material or items containing egg masses.
She said after her brother explained the negative effects of the spotted lanternfly, Gabriel said she immediately started squashing the ones she saw.
“In my opinion, I wouldn’t say that they are the biggest threat out there, but they are mildly a threat,” Gabriel said. “If they keep coming, and they do keep coming [and] eating the trees, that can lead to greater complications.”
