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2019 Spotted Lanternfly research synopsis
- 1. 2019 Research Synopsison Lycorma delicatula in northern Berks County and very southern Schuylkill County, PA November 2019 Richard Gardner rtgardner3@yahoo.com
- 2. Photos and otherparts of this presentation may be used providing they are referenced with the title and “Richard Gardner, November 2019”.
- 3. This past fieldseason I focused on Lycorma delicatula, the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), since we live in northern Berks County, PA, on the northern edge of its spread. For me this was an ideal or nightmare situation in that it is cutting edge research on a highly invasive newly introduced non-native insect which is literally in my backyard.
- 4. The most diabolicalpart of being an ecologist, especially an invasive species ecologist studying an organism like the SLF is that the research is everywhere I am whenever I am outside, including my backyard. For the last 16 months my camera was seldom far from my hand when hiking.
- 5. I did mostof my research in the following locations: 1.) my backyard just south of Shartlesville, Berks County, PA 2.) a stand of Ailanthus altissima trees in Shartlesville 3.) Blue Marsh Lake on the uphill end of Landis and Highland Roads to Sterner Hill Road 4.) the Appalachian Trail (AT) on the border of Berks and Schuylkill counties just “south” of where it crosses Rt. 183 5.) Blue Marsh Lake, ½ mile on each side of mile 19 of the loop trail.
- 6. Other research areaswere around mile 4.5 in Blue Marsh Lake which is where I saw the first nymphs emerging, SGL110 in two locations near Shartlesville, Peacock Road in Blue Marsh Lake and random locations I happened to be at. During this field season I talked with two wineries, and purchased their wines, two farm markets selling tree fruit and numerous other people. The wine helped.
- 7. The fascinating partof having research sites in different locations with varying ecological conditions such as amount of sunlight on egg masses and 1000 feet difference in altitude is watching the eggs hatch and nymphs mature at different times. There were about two weeks between the first eggs hatching at Blue Marsh Lake and the first of three egg sets hatching on top of Blue Mountain along the AT south of Rt. 183. I was fortunate to see gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar) emerging from eggs close to SLF egg masses near the AT south of Rt. 183 south. This gave me a comparison between a known organism and an unknown one. Gypsy moths are an interesting contrast to SLF in that they are a real threat to forests from urban areas to wild areas, not an ephemeral one.
- 8. I feel thatat least $200,000,000 will be wasted on SLF research and quarantines. My expectation is that Penn State University will waste at least $100,000,000 on this organism. After this issue solves itself Penn State will proudly take credit for something which they had no part in resolving. Beyond the money wasted, the fear SLF engendered, with Penn State’s help, will further poison the landscape with needless insecticides and herbicides. I recently heard concerns that the honey of local bees may be contaminated with insecticides due SLF panic. If so, this will be a huge blow to local agriculture.
- 9. The spread ofSLF from my observations is unstoppable. The most likely scenario is that after local population explosions the SLF will become indigenous with a low-level background presence throughout North America like many other invasive non-native organisms. What I see in Berks County is similar to dropping a stone into a puddle – large immediate ripples moving outward followed by smaller ripples. Periodicity is the one question I still have. It is a long-term issue which cannot be determined in one or several years.
- 10. I do noteven remotely see a need for biocontrols. If the pattern of exponential growth and decline which we are seeing in Berks County is consistent throughout SLF expansion, an introduced biocontrol will do little if any good. The possibilities and probabilities for environmental harm are too great at this time to at any logical level consider introducing another organism which will have unpredictable short- and long-term effects on the ecosystems SLF spreads to. There are simply too many variables to introduce yet another non-native organism into ecosystems already flooded with non-native organisms.
- 11. I see theBrown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) as a model for SLF in many ways, although there are significant differences in their ecology. The four major similarities are that 1.) both are not woodland organisms, preferring open areas in urban, suburban and rural landscapes, 2.) both were introduced within 35 miles of my home and 30 miles of each other 3.) the spread of both is unstoppable and 4.) both had a major population explosion followed by a steep decline where they were first introduced. This is basic ecological theory (introduction/lag/log/peak/decline/stability).
- 12. The major differencesare that SLF 1.) is a hopper, 2.) has no close native relatives, 3.) prefers to feed on woody plants such as Ailanthus altissima, grape vines and some tree species, especially domestic trees, 4.) lays eggs in the fall which overwinter and 5.) the adult dies in early winter. BMSB 1.) is a flyer, 2.) has many native relatives, 3.) prefers to feed on soft foods such as my tomatoes and beans, 4.) adults overwinter to lay eggs in the spring 5.) subsequent generations lay eggs throughout the summer and in the following spring after overwintering as adults.
- 13. I saw numerousBrown Marmorated Stink Bugs at different instars in my garden and home. However, BMSB this year was possibly at the lowest level in our garden since it was planted several years ago. We lost perhaps 10% of our beans this year versus 90% the last two years.
- 14. Gypsy moth, ATRt. 183 south, April 19, 2019. These eggs hatched about 8 weeks before the first SLF eggs hatched at this location.
- 15. Sunny area nearmile 4.5 in Blue Marsh Lake. The eggs hatched here before other nearby locations. May 21, 2019
- 16. Mile 4.5 BlueMarsh Lake, May 21, 2019. It took about 3 days for an entire SLF egg mass to hatch. Nymphs apparently hatched during the night or early morning. They were translucent to white colored immediately after hatching. Sometime in the next day or two they changed to black with white spots.
- 17. Mile 4.5 BlueMarsh Lake, May 24, 2019. Notice the unique angle of the body. This angle remains from hatching through adulthood.
- 18. These nymphs hatchedfrom eggs on a cedar tree on Sterner Hill Road a couple hundred yards from Highland Road. May 24, 2019
- 19. Shartlesville research site.May 25, 2019
- 20. The egg massnext to SLF nymphs is the Spined Soldier Bug, Podisus maculiventris. I found egg masses of this insect often near SLF egg masses on a walk in Blue Marsh Lake during the fall of 2018. This photo is from the site in Shartlesville I photographed over the last two years. May 25, 2019
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- 23. Newly hatched SpinedSoldier Bug nymphs, Podisus maculiventris near recently hatched SLF nymphs. I was told by a professor from Kutztown University that this insect eats SLF. Shartlesville, May 26, 2019
- 24. Spined Soldier Bugnymphs, Podisus maculiventris near recently hatched SLF nymphs. Shartlesville, May 26, 2019
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- 27. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, May 30, 2019
- 28. SGL 110-10 nearthe AT, north of 100 steps, June 3, 2019
- 29. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, May 30, 2019
- 30. AT Rt. 183south, June 5, 2019
- 31. AT Rt. 183south, June 5, 2019
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- 33. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 11, 2019
- 34. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 12, 2019
- 35. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 14, 2019
- 36. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 14, 2019
- 37. home, June 18,2019
- 38. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 25, 2019
- 39. Highland Road, BlueMarsh Lake, June 25, 2019
- 40. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 10, 2019
- 41. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 10, 2019
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- 46. home, July 22,2019
- 47. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 24, 2019
- 48. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 24, 2019
- 49. I consider Hyphantriacunea Drury a much greater threat to Juglans nigra than SLF. Landis and Highland Roads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 24, 2019
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- 52. home, July 28,2019
- 53. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 30, 2019
- 54. Landis and Highland Roads,Blue Marsh Lake, July 30, 2019
- 55. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, July 30, 2019. My observations are that not all the adult SLF in this photo will reproduce.
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- 57. Highland and SternerHill Roads, Blue Marsh Lake, August 6, 2019
- 58. SGL 110-10 nearthe AT, north of 100 steps, August 11, 2019
- 59. Landis Road, BlueMarsh Lake, August 12, 2019
- 60. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, August 15, 2019
- 61. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, August 15, 2019
- 62. home, August 17,2019
- 63. Atteva aurea (theAilanthus webworm), eggs, larvae and pupa. Landis and Highland Roads, Blue Marsh Lake, August 26, 2019
- 64. Sleepy Hollow Road,Blue Marsh Lake, Sept. 6, 2019
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- 66. Landis and HighlandRoads, Blue Marsh Lake, Sept. 17, 2019
- 67. Mile 13, BlueMarsh Lake, Sept. 24, 2019
- 68. Mile 19, BlueMarsh Lake, Oct. 7, 2019
- 69. Mile 19, BlueMarsh Lake, Oct. 7, 2019
- 70. Mile 19, BlueMarsh Lake, Oct. 7, 2019
- 71. Mile 19, BlueMarsh Lake, Oct. 7, 2019
- 72. AT Rt. 183south, Oct. 29, 2019
- 73. One serious issuewe are going to have to deal with in Pennsylvania is Gun Bullying by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and by hunters. It appears to be especially aimed at women hikers since from our experience they are the largest number of hikers and men are easily the largest number of hunters. My wife and other women have experienced gun bullying by hunters and I had shotgun pellets hitting trees over my head recently when walking with a woman who is a close friend. It will be curtailing research and outdoor recreation because there is literally no public land owned by the state in Pennsylvania which is not open to hunting including state parks and state forests, and the land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The legislature has decreed the request by Pennsylvania Game Commission that rifle deer season will start the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, which was a prime day for outdoor recreation which does not involve slaughtering animals with high powered rifles, and three random Sundays will also be open to hunting, which no one is sure when they will be until they hear gunshots. There is literally no place safe for hikers, mountain bikers and families in Pennsylvania to enjoy outdoor recreation from mid-September through early January and during the month of May. Instead of “Go Outdoors Pennsylvania”, it is “Go Outdoors anywhere but Pennsylvania”. My feelings are that this will destroy outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania, which seems to be a goal of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. I suggest that people planning their vacations in Pennsylvania find other states to go to until this resolves itself in a positive way for hikers, bicyclists and families. We will be doing so.