If you haven't heard yet, the town of Shenandoah has some new residents. And you
may not notice that they moved...
into your neighborhood. An invasive insect, the Spotted
Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, has come from Asia into the United States and made its
way into Page County, and a few other counties in North western Virginia. These
invasive insects can be found feeding on over a hundred different plants species during
the growing season. From now until early May, Spotted Lanternfly egg masses can be
found on any substrate that is smooth and outdoors. In spring they will emerge as small
dark nymphs and later develop into the leaf hopping, tree gliding insect that is invading
our backyards.
Spotted Lanternfly are not only a huge residential nuisance but an agricultural pest that
can hurt, our local grape, apple, fruit, and other agricultural commodities. These
industries support billions of dollars in revenue from tourism and exports. If left
untreated, a small population of a few insects can rapidly turn into thousands or even
millions of insects. The good news is that they are relatively easy to kill if you can find
them. You can squish them as nymphs, smash them as adults, although they are sly.
Right now scraping egg masses will remove 30-50 in one motion. There are several
listed chemicals that can be properly applied or common household items like soapy
water or diluted vinegar will also work. For more control information please see;
https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/commercial-horticulture/spotted-lanternfly.html
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) along with
their partners would like you to help ‘Slow the Spread of Spotted Lanternfly” in Virginia.
Any business involved in transporting goods or operating vehicles in and out of the
quarantine area (Frederick Warren or Clarke counties) should also learn about the
recently expanded Spotted Lanternfly quarantine that now includes Clarke and Warren
counties.
Both residents and businesses can learn more about Spotted Lanternfly, effective
control measures, how to report a sighting and the quarantine by visiting;
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services.shtml
, emailing
Article written by Kyle Rhodes
Spotted Lanternfly Field Supervisor
Va. Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services
102 Governor Street
Richmond VA 23219
804-920-5558
