Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Farm Bureau) -If you are looking for an outdoor activity this winter, you should search for an egg mass of the lanternfly egg.
Spotted Lanternflies remains a nuisance for homeowners and a threat to harvesters – to destroy with the potential to destroy orchards and vineyards.
Her egg masses that resemble mud stains will be laid in autumn and slipped in spring, and experts say that now is a good time to find them.
“Since they only slip in early April, they can get in there, scrape them off and get control,” said Eric Day, an entomologist and manager of the insect identification laboratory from Virginia Tech. “And by looking for the egg masses, you will see if you have the presence of Spotted Lanternflies – you are a potential problem in the street.”
The oval egg masses are about 1.5 inches long and half a customs wide and can contain up to 50 eggs. Glossy gray when you are fresh, turn a blunt gray brown – muddy mud or braid. They can be found on the underside of the branches and on tree trunks, vehicles, houses, lawn furniture, grills, dog houses and decorative garden articles. They were also seen on fences, planning, decks, building materials and firewood.
The egg masses can be scraped off with scrapers or something hard, rejuvenated and flat scraps from surfaces. To kill them, put them in a re -lockable bag with alcohol or hand disinfectant. They can also be smashed with a stick or stone.
Day found that the residents “never get them all”, although they will never all get them “, how widespread they are and make well -founded decisions about management.
Spotted Lanternflies extends its range and 17 other counties in Virginia have recently been included on the map of the current quarantine and known infestation areas. Due to limited predators and their ability to faith and fly, “we are in the unfortunate condition in which they are pretty well established and people learn to live with them,” said Day.
Spotted lantern flies feed on over 100 plant species, including apples, stone fruits, hops and ornamental plants. They are particularly destructive for grapes, and Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Expansion work closely with vineyards in the reduction.
“The honeydew, which you can look after on plants, leads to black soot shape, which blocks photosynthesis, emphasizes the system and can lead to the death of plants,” said Tony Banks, senior deputy director of agriculture, development and innovation for the Farm Bureau Federation of Virginia. “By destroying your eggs now, you can help reduce your number in spring.”
Residents who live outside of the current quarantine or well-known infestation areas are asked to report all views for lantern fly with their local expansion office. It is not necessary to report discovered lantern flying in current infected zones.
Further information on Spotted Lanternflies can be found on the Virginia Tech website here or on the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website.