10/22/2023 – 8:19
At first glance, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) looks like a harmless moth, with its white, black and red colors. But this invasive insect, common in Asia, destroys flora and crops in the United States, where authorities are trying to stop its spread.
“A good lycorma is a dead lycorma,” Amy Korman, an entomologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s school of agricultural sciences, told AFP.
Lycorma delicatula arrived in the United States in 2012 in a shipment of rocks from Asia, according to scientists, although it was only seen two years later, in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Although it does not pose a danger to humans or animals, the insect has already caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the agricultural sector, while, to date, it has spread to around 15 states in the east of the country.
A study by the University of Pennsylvania calculated that in 2020 there was an annual cost of 554 million dollars (almost R$2.9 billion, at the time) in an attempt to contain the insect and the loss of almost 5,000 jobs per year in that state. , which, despite quarantines and numerous combat campaigns, was unable to contain it.
“It’s a very elusive insect. It spreads thanks to us. We are the ones who carry it across the country, especially its eggs,” explained Korman.
These eggs – around 30 to 50, which resemble grains of brown rice lined up in a row – are laid on flat surfaces (logs, rocks, cars) and “have survived very harsh winters”.
As adults, flies use a proboscis to suck sap from plants, depriving them of this crucial nutrient. When several of them feed on the same one, the plant dies.
– ‘Like vampires’ –
With an abdomen measuring 25 mm long by 15 mm wide, the insect feeds on more than 70 species of ornamental plants, fruit trees, nuts and wood. Among his favorite trees are vines.
Scientists have observed swarms of dozens, even hundreds, of individuals on a single vine. Vineyards in Pennsylvania and Maryland lost half of their production, between the death of plants and the lower yield of those that survived the plague.
“We lost a thousand vineyards,” Michael Fiore, owner of one in Maryland, invaded in 2022, told AFP. “They sucked up all the energy, they are like vampires,” he said, fearing he would lose the other half of his harvest this year. “The year 2022 was bad, 2023 is equally bad”, he lamented, adding that “it will take time to rebuild the vineyards”.
The flora is also affected by the insect’s feces, which cause a mold called soot, which, by covering the leaves, prevents photosynthesis.
Several states have hired scientists to find a way to eradicate the spotted lanternfly in a race against time as it is projected to reach the West Coast between 2027 and 2030.
The wine industry in California, a state with renowned vineyards, generates US$170.5 billion (R$861 billion) for the United States economy and employs 1.1 million people, according to the Wine Institute, its representative body.
In June, the US Department of Agriculture released a five-year strategy to study and combat this spotted lanternfly.
“We can’t understand” its behavior, says Matthew Travis, who leads the insect fight at the United States Department of Agriculture. “It’s a real challenge for us,” he added.
“There are many things we don’t know, especially about population changes from one year to the next and their distribution”, he highlighted, adding that they made study visits to Asia, “but have never seen the great phenomena” that occur in the United States, which makes it more difficult to estimate the long-term economic consequences.
Meanwhile, Americans organize patrols to kill the insects. In Westchester County, near New York, sniffer dogs detect eggs and powerful vacuums are used. Some poison the sap of the tree of heaven, an invasive species also native to Asia, much appreciated by lycorma, which has no real predators on the American continent.
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