Spotted lanternflies have become a familiar sight this time of year, and according to the report their growing numbers are now hurting local vineyards. What can look like just another seasonal bug is, in the eyes of the people who grow grapes, a genuine problem, as the insects turn up in larger numbers and settle onto the vines that the region's wine and fruit ultimately depend on.
The reason the insects do so much harm comes down to how they feed. As the report explains, experts say the bugs suck the nutrients out of a vine, drawing off what the plant needs to stay healthy. It is a quiet kind of damage, because the vine is not knocked down or visibly destroyed, but is instead slowly drained of the resources it relies on to do its job through the growing season.
That feeding has a direct effect on what ends up on the vine. According to the report, by pulling nutrients out of the plant the lanternflies deprive grapes and other fruits of the sugar they need to fully ripen. For a vineyard, where the sweetness and ripeness of the grapes matter a great deal, that loss of sugar strikes at exactly the part of the harvest that growers are counting on.
When it comes to fighting back, the advice from the experts is blunt. As the report notes, entomologists say the best way to deal with the spotted lanternflies is simply to squish them. It is a hands-on, direct approach, and one that anyone who comes across the insects can carry out on the spot, without any special equipment, whenever they see one of the bugs.
For those who would rather not crush the insects one by one, the report offers another option. If you do not want to squish them, you can scoop them up with a shop vac or a backpack vacuum, if that happens to be what you have on hand. It is presented as a practical alternative, a way to gather up the bugs in numbers rather than dealing with them one at a time.
Dealing with the adults, though, is only part of the task. According to the report, experts say you should also destroy the insects' eggs if they lay them on tree bark. Going after the eggs is aimed at the next generation of lanternflies before they ever hatch, targeting the problem at its source rather than waiting for a fresh wave of the bugs to appear later on.
Taken together, the guidance points to a season of vigilance for anyone near the affected vines. As the report lays it out, squishing the insects, vacuuming them up and destroying their eggs on tree bark are the main steps being recommended, as growers and residents alike try to keep the spotted lanternflies from taking any more of a toll on the region's vineyards and the fruit they produce.