BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Spotted lanternflies have been seen in the area, with many voicing their concerns about the invasive pest.
The insects are from Asia and have spread to the U.S., harming agriculture and plants.
“Their preferred food is the Tree-of-Heaven, otherwise known as Ailanthus, which also is an invasive species,” said Hannah Ulrich, district program administrator, Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District.
“So that’s really good for us. But the other side is they also feed on grapevines and stone fruits. So, orchards and vineyards are super vulnerable to them.”
It’s not the damage done to feeding off the greenery that is a concern, rather it’s the excretion of honeydew from the insects that promotes growth of black sooty mold, ultimately killing the plants.
“Unfortunately, there’s not much that we can do to prevent them from coming here,” Ulrich said.
“The best way to avoid a spread is when you are in an infested area like Pittsburgh, Washington, Pa, those type of places, hit a car wash on your way through. So that way if you do have any of them hitchhiking, they get washed off.”
Belmont County is considered a quarantine county because it borders infested areas. If you don’t have the heart to squash on a bug, Ulrich said they die with soapy water or rubbing alcohol.
But she says the most important thing you can do is to destroy egg masses that look like gray/brownish smears of mud by scraping them off with a hard plastic.
“They’re not picky with where they lay their eggs, as long as it’s a sheltered area,” Ulrich said. “So, fence posts, lawn furniture, barbecue stuff, anything like that that’s kind of stationary and safe they’ll lay their eggs on it.”
Ulrich said that the insects will be preparing to lay their eggs in October.
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