By Adrienne Fleming
There’s a different kind of quarantine happening in New Jersey and the state’s agricultural department wants residents to know about it. While coronavirus numbers are down in the northeast, another invader could cause quite the problem, this time for local crops.
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that can feed on about 70 different types of trees and plants. Indigenous to China, Taiwan and Vietnam, the planthopper pest arrived in the U.S. in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on a shipment from China in 2014. It has steadily advanced ever since, and 26 counties in Pennsylvania are currently under quarantine.
And thanks to a shared border with the state, the pest is now in New Jersey. Warren, Hunterdon, Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem and Somerset are all under quarantine.
The quarantine allows for properly attired New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) survey and treatment crews to inspect and treat the infested areas. The department is partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to curb the ongoing spread of the spotted lanternfly.
“We have been working diligently to slow the advance of this bug,” said NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher. “We are targeting areas where severe infestations have been confirmed, and we also encourage residents to destroy the spotted lanternfly if possible when they see it. It will take a combined effort to help keep this pest from spreading.”
Though a few sightings of the spotted lanternfly have been reported in Monmouth County due to the hitchhiking activities of the insect, it is not confirmed to be in the environment. The spotted lanternfly can ride on a vehicle or trailer and stay there for several miles at normal driving speeds. The Department of Agriculture asks that before leaving a quarantined area, residents check their vehicles for the insect and destroy any found.
The adult spotted lanternfly’s wings are gray with white spots when closed. When the wings are open, they are a very distinguishable red and black, making them easy to locate. The insect does not bite leaves, humans or pets. It extracts sap from trees and plants and feeds on it, leaving behind a sooty mold-like substance that eventually runs to the bottom of the tree. “When the spotted lanternfly extracts the sap, it damages the hardwoods of the tree,” said Adam Froehlic, co-owner of Fritz’s Tree Service located in Red Bank.
Though the spotted lanternfly can feed on several types of common vegetation, its preferred host is the tree of heaven. Tree of heaven is an invasive species that has been in the United States for centuries. Though it starts out looking like a common weed, it eventually grows into a full-grown tree that reaches 50 or 60 feet. Since surveys and treatments for the spotted lanternfly in New Jersey began in 2018, there have been more than 200,000 trees of heaven treated on almost 19,000 acres.
Adult spotted lanternfly begin laying egg masses in early to mid-September. An adult female can lay three egg masses containing 30 to 50 eggs each that hatch in the spring. The insect cannot survive the winter, but its egg masses do, so destroying them is one way to help stop the spread. The gray egg masses can be scraped off, double bagged and thrown away or placed into alcohol, bleach or hand sanitizer to kill them.
“We have been educating all of our crew members on how to positively ID the spotted lanternfly and the proper protocol to destroy them,” said Dan Fleming of Siciliano Landscape Company, a residential and commercial landscaping company based in Red Bank. “They can attack most plants, but the biggest worry is vineyards and food crops. The proper thing to do if you’re a homeowner and spot them on your property is to destroy them and call the Department of Agriculture. When in doubt, contact a professional to positively identify them.”
The NJDA and USDA-APHIS have several crews throughout the state working to treat areas where infestations have been reported. Crews seeking permission to enter a property where infestation exists will always have proper identification, follow safety protocols and only inspect specific outdoor areas. Treatments will only occur on the tree of heaven, which the spotted lanternfly prefers and needs in order to reproduce.
For more information on homeowner treatment options and instructions on how to destroy egg masses, visit nj.gov. Residents outside of the quarantined counties can report the exact address of spotted lanternfly sightings by emailing Slf-plantindustry@ag.nj.gov or calling 609-406-6943.
The article originally appeared in the September 17 – 23, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
