Is there a better way to kill a spotted lanternfly? While stomping them out seems to be the most prevalent method, researchers now believe they are getting closer to finding a more sophisticated way to dispatch the hated invasive species.
After being closed to the public for more than six years, Penn State’s Frost Entomological Museum has reopened with new and improved exhibits, storage facilities and research capacity.
Research funds and new tools are fueling another year of the fight against spotted lanternfly. The colorful, polka-dotted insects are an invasive species native to China, Bangladesh and Vietnam – and a significant risk to U.S. fruit growers, especially those who grow grapes. Other crops affected by the pests include almonds, apples, blueberries, cherries and peaches.
The spotted lanternfly made its presence known in Lebanon County this year, gnawing on trees from Bethel Township to Cornwall and beyond.
Folks worried that the spotted lanternfly will put a “bah humbug” into their holiday by taking up residence in their live Christmas tree should toss those concerns to the side like used wrapping paper, according to Penn State Extension experts.
enn State employees whose work duties require travel to, from and within the spotted lanternfly quarantine zone in southeastern Pennsylvania now have a brief reprieve from mandatory vehicle inspections.
The spotted lanternfly is eating its way through trees and crops in eastern Pennsylvania. NPR science correspondent Dan Charles explains how scientists hope to stop the spread of this invasive pest by importing a natural enemy from its home in China.
Pennsylvania’s beekeepers can now get even closer to their six-legged friends. In April, Penn State University, with the help of Callowhill-based geospatial technology company Azavea, released a new tool called Beescape where keepers can get the buzz on their hives (sorry) with a “bee’s eye view” of their environment.
Pennsylvania state officials are asking for the public’s help in controlling the spotted lanternfly — an invasive insect that is both a nuisance and a threat to crops.
Centre County has seen a “dramatic increase” in hospitalizations over the past two years for an infectious bacterial disease primarily spread by deer ticks, according to a Mount Nittany Physician Group infectious disease specialist.
In Amityville, Pennsylvania, 10 acres of grapevines sprawl across the family-owned Manatawny Creek Winery. Owner Darvin Levengood is no stranger to vineyard pests. But he was met with calamity in the fall of 2017 when grape pickers were bombarded by swarms of a new invasive insect, the Spotted Lanternfly. Winery guests couldn’t drink on the open porch without finding the bug, and its “honeydew,” in their glass.
Marten Edwards knows just what to say when friends come to him and admit that they think they’ve seen an alien.
Waking up with a fresh set of itchy bug bites can bring on its own set of worries. What, exactly, was biting you in the middle of the night? Was it a spider? Mosquito? Or—possibly the worst case scenario — could it have been bed bugs?
When it comes to horror, there’s nothing more terrifying than the plausible. As much as we love cowering from supernatural scares, when we leave the cinema, we do so knowing that vampires aren’t really going to hurt us. That a vengeful spirit probably isn’t lurking behind the counter at our local Starbucks.
The tail-end of summer means the moth-like spotted lanternfly will begin laying its eggs in a few weeks. Many Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents aren’t taking the threat of the invasive species lightly, and are increasingly going out of their way to kill the critters and their larvae.
Penn State Extension has established a new vector-borne disease team that focuses on diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitos. To ensure that its efforts address community needs, the team is launching a survey, the results of which will allow extension educators to deliver responsive programming to educate the public on vector-borne diseases, how to prevent them, and how people can protect themselves.
Hordes of spotted lanternflies are flapping through the state, threatening agriculture. “They jump, they’re big, they’re scary,” one Pennsylvanian said. “It’s like all of your worst nightmares coming to fruition.”
With a theme of “Living With(out) Insects,” the 2019 edition of Penn State's Great Insect Fair will explore the widely publicized, worldwide decline of insects from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. Saturday, September 28, at the Snider Agricultural Arena on the University Park campus.
The Barbercheck Lab is seeking one Master’s student to start in the Summer or Fall of 2020.
In the Great Spotted Lanternfly War, Pennsylvania’s citizen-soldiers are fighting back with fly swatters and vacuums, dish soap and sticky tape. They’re stomping and spraying and zapping and bragging about their kills on social media. “DESTROY THEM,” a propaganda poster urges. “Die, die, die, spotted lanternfly,” a balladeer sings.
The invasive pest has killed vines and forced the closure of wineries in Berks and Lehigh counties. Bucks County is already seeing damages, as researchers study a nearby vineyard with an eye toward solutions.
After entering the museum, visitors who head toward the left wall will encounter a great swarm of insects. The pinned specimens are arranged in 16 repurposed insect drawers, configured in a four-by-four grid. Looking closer, visitors will observe that the insects are clustered, not randomly—but according to their taxonomic group. The eagle-eyed may notice that the size of each cluster is proportional to that group’s diversity: a cloud of flies, a battalion of beetles, a mass of moths and butterflies; just a smattering of scorpionflies, a handful of stick insects. Within the multitudes, 100 specimens are adorned with a number corresponding to a poster with more information about that species.
A unique undertaking in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will shine a light on how solar farms can contribute to healthy ecosystems and boost pollinator populations.
Holly Egan’s jungle-like home decor became a bit too authentic for her taste this week when a “very angry” house guest arrived at her Mercer home by way of a potted plant.
An Ophiocordyceps dipterigina mushroom on a fly in the Brazilian forest reserve Adolfo Ducke. – João Araújo on the New York Times. Some are looking for the origin of our species. Others hunt for the origin of birds.
The spotted lanternfly’s U.S. invasion has crossed the border from Pennsylvania into Maryland.
Evolutionary biologists retrace the history of life in all its wondrous forms. Some search for the origin of our species. Others hunt for the origin of birds.
State and federal agriculture officials in several Northeastern states are having limited success in containing the spread of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from China threatening billions of dollars in crop losses.
Pennsylvania is the fourth largest producer of wine in the country, but there's a serious threat affecting some of the vineyards in our area.
Tailgates, football games and festivals. It's a busy time for people to be zig-zagging across Pennsylvania and that's causing new fears from the state. They don't want an invasive bug, the spotted lanternfly catching a ride into our area.
