NEW YORK — The pesky spotted lanternfly is set to make a comeback this year, but New York State predicts the appearance could happen sooner rather than later, potentially catching at-risk agricultural businesses by surprise.
The reason could be due to the extension of summer weather into the early weeks of spring and as temperatures continue to rise, something that could push the dappled lanternfly timeline forward, according to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets. NY.
“In fact, with the warmer weather facing New York State, we expect the SLF to [mosca linterna moteada] may hatch early this year, within the next month or even sooner, in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley“Plant Industry director Chris Logue told our sister network NBC New York.
Brian Eshenaur studies invasive species at Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM). He says hatching could be brought forward to early May.
“With that momentum, it also means they could develop into adult spotted lanternflies (the stage we all recognize) sooner. So they can happen earlier than we would normally see them, which is around the third week of July,” he said. Eshenaur to NBC 4.
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species native to Asia. According to Princeton high school teacher Mark Eastburn, these insects first appeared in Pennsylvania years ago.
“I live in Pennsylvania, and mottled lanternflies first showed up in 2014. From what I understand, there was a shipment of cobblestones coming from China,” Eastburn told NBC New York.
These insects like to lay their eggs on flat, hard surfaces. The cluster of eggs that was attached to the shipment of stones made its way to Redding, Pennsylvania, and from there, the lanternflies have since been spreading throughout the northeastern regions in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
Having no true indigenous predators in the US, the hitchhiking critter gravitates to farms and vineyards as a food source. This grasshopper is known to feed on more than 70 species of plants including fruit trees, grains, and vines, with the tree of heaven being a fan favorite of the insect.
To give a broader perspective, New York is estimated to produce more than 30 million bushels of apples each year, while grapes are valued at an annual crop of $52.8 million, according to the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets.
With the potential for an earlier appearance of mottled lanternflies, experts advise residents to inspect hotspots, like tree trunks and playgrounds, and scrape away egg masses.
“So we ask residents to look for speckled lanternfly egg masses and scratch them up with a credit card or something with a hard edge. You have to press a little hard on the egg mass and you’ll need to hear the eggs pop.” while they’re being pressured to know they’re being effective,” Jeff Wolfe, public information officer for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, told NBC.
Spotted lanternflies are not a direct threat to humans, as they do not bite or sting people, but vineyard managers and growers should be prepared both in Hudson Valley Like on Long Island.
