Tag : Lanternfly

Washington: Scientists, land managers, and growers were naturally concerned when the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) came to the United States from its home in China. According to new long-term research done by Penn State, hardwood trees such as maple, willow, and birch may be less vulnerable than previously thought. The findings were published in the journal Environmental Entomology. “Since the lanternfly was first introduced to the northeastern US, the question has been, ‘How at-risk are our forests?’ said Kelli Hoover, professor of entomology at Penn State. “So far, we haven't had a good answer. Our study is the first to look at the long-term impacts of feeding pressure on northeastern hardwoods, and our results suggest that we are unlikely to see big impacts on the growth of trees.” To determine the long-term effects of spotted lanternfly (SLF) feeding on hardwood trees, the team built large enclosures containing multiple species of tree, including the insect’s favourite food, the non-native tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), as well as native trees, including silver maple (Acer saccharinum), weeping willow (Salix babylonica) and river birch (Betula nigra). The team included tree-of-heaven in half of the enclosures to determine whether its presence would influence the feeding pressure on the native hardwoods. Within the enclosures, the researchers reared different densities of spotted lanternflies for all or most of their lifecycle, from eggs through adults, to see if the number of insects feeding on a tree would impact its growth and survival. After the first two years, they reduced the density of the insects to see if the trees would recover. They monitored leaf gas exchange and concentrations of nutrients that are imp ...