"If you want your kids to smash them, that's fine. "If you are at a park, check your car before you leave to make sure you don't have a hitchhiker with you, that you didn't bring one in the picnic basket," he explained. Because the spotted lanternflies are hitchhikers, they are using America's road and train systems to spread into new regions, Harper said. People can help control the spotted lanternfly by reporting sightings to state officials and checking their vehicles before leaving an area where the insects are known to exist. Both the spotted lanternfly and the tree of heaven are invasive species that originated in Asia.Īt the same time, it's not difficult to kill the insects with insecticides, Harper said. The invasive insects will suck the sap from more than 70 plant species, but prefer the tree of heaven as their host. "People can do something, but it's a drop in the ocean." The spotted lanternfly on a tree of heaven in Morningside Park in New York City in August. "Killing one or two may make you feel better, but it won't be all that effective," Harper of Penn State said. Officials are advising people to squish, stomp or kill spotted lanternflies when they encounter them. "If you have a couple in your yard, you can smush them, but if it's hundreds or thousands, you will really have to take more extreme measures to get rid of them." Squishing the insect: "Not all that effective" "People don't want hundreds or thousands of spotted lanternflies in their yard or in front of their businesses," he noted. There's an increase in demand for eradicating the spotted lanternfly from homeowners and businesses, noted Ben Hottel, technical services manager for pest-control company Orkin. "People are spending a lot of money trying to control these things." "You might want to sit on your patio enjoying a meal and it drives you inside," he said. Sitting under a tree infested with spotted lanternflies can feel like "raindrops falling" because of the honeydew they excrete, Harper added. Matt Frye, NYSIPM Program, Cornell University Sooty mold thrives in honeydew, which also attracts bees and wasps. Honeydew can rain down on people, as well as property such as cars, houses, decks and outdoor equipment like grills. "It's been shocking to see the impact it has had on homeowners and parks departments." A juvenile spotted lanternfly sits on a leaf speckled with a goop called "honeydew," an excretion from the insect that is produced when it feeds on tree sap. "The impact that it's had on suburban and urban environments has surprised me," said Jayson Harper, professor of agricultural economics at Penn State who co-authored a 2019 study on the economic toll of the spotted lanternfly on Pennsylvania's forest and farm industries. That's on top of projected economic costs from agricultural harm, which could exceed $300 million in Pennsylvania alone, according to a 2019 report from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. homeowners, it could be substantial, given that the cost to eradicate the spotted lanternfly from one property ranges between hundreds to thousands of dollars, according to experts. While there's no estimate on the economic impact for U.S. The excreted substance is also attractive to bees and wasps, which can also spell trouble for homeowners. Honeydew lands on homes, cars, decks and outdoor equipment, like grills, and is a growth medium for sooty mold - an unsightly fungus. The problem begins with the spotted lanternfly's habit of excreting a substance called "honeydew," a sticky, sweet goop that falls from the insects as they feed on tree sap. But the invasive species is proving to be harmful not only to farmers but to homeowners, who can face costs of thousands of dollars to eradicate the pests from their properties. The spotted lanternfly may be a beautiful insect - it has eye-catching bright red and spotted wings - that doesn't bite or sting. Author James Rebanks on new book "Pastoral Song" and farming today 07:52
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