The color fly (Lycorma delicatula) is a new invasive insect that can turn the world of Midwest grape growers upside down.
Some growers and homeowners in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia have discovered how severe SLF is. In addition to grapes, SLF also attacks fruit trees, hops, broadleaf trees and ornamental plants. This is why USDA has invested millions of dollars to slow the spread of SLF and study effective control measures in the northeastern United States
Many grape growers in Ohio are very nervous about SLF because the pest has been found in some Pennsylvania counties along the Ohio border. Grape growers in other states in the Midwest cannot relax because SLF can easily reach other states by train, car, truck, plane and some other ways.
Raise public awareness. It is important to raise public awareness of SLF in your state. Preventing SLF from entering your state is always a good way. Since we do not have millions of people in Ohio fighting this pest, the Ohio grape industry has donated approximately $50,000 to SLF investigations and public awareness campaigns. SLF ID cards are printed to help people spot pests. It is important to be able to identify all stages of SLF, including egg mass, immature and adulthood. Please visit this link https://is.gd/OSU_SLF to get an information booklet about SLF recognition. We need to find SLF and kill it as soon as possible to prevent its spread.
Remove the paradise tree (Ailanthus altissima) near the vineyard. “Tree of Paradise” is SLF’s favorite host, and it will become a highlight of SLF. Once the SLF is established there, they will quickly find your vines and start attacking them. Since Sky Tree is an invasive plant, removing it will not bother anyone. In fact, some people call the “Tree of Heaven” a “demon in disguise.” Please refer to this fact sheet for details on how to identify and permanently delete the tree of heaven from your farm.
SLF = effective grape killer? SLF is a planthopper, not a fly. It has a generation a year. Female SLF lays eggs in the fall. The eggs hatch in the spring of the second year. After incubation and before adulthood, SLF has experienced the fourth instar (Leach et al., 2019). SLF destroys grape vines by sucking juice from the phloem of the stem, cordon and trunk. SLF is a greedy feeder. After adulthood, they may be very numerous in the vineyard. SLF can severely weaken the vines, making the vines vulnerable to other stress factors, such as cold winters.
Some grape growers asked me if it is a good idea to spray pesticides on the vines if they know they do not have SLF. Well, that is unnecessary. You still need to spray grape moths, Japanese beetles and spot-wing fruit flies. Hope we can prevent SLF from entering your state. After all, you still have enough troubles.
What if SLF enters your state? Well, some people in the agriculture department of your state will have a bad life. Hope they can wipe it out before SLF enters your vineyard.
What if SLF does enter your vineyard? Then, your nightmare will officially begin. You will need all the tools in the IPM box to control pests.
SLF egg chunks need to be scraped and then destroyed. The dormant Lorsban Advanced (poisoned rif, Corteva) is very effective at killing SLF eggs, while JMS Stylet-Oil (paraffin oil) has a lower kill rate (Leach et al., 2019).
Most standard insecticides can control SLF nymphs. Insecticides with high knockdown activity have a good effect on SLF nymphs, but residual activity is not necessarily required (for example, Zeta-cypermethrin or carbaryl) (Leach et al., 2019). Since the invasion of SLF nymphs may be very localized, some treatment may be more necessary. Multiple applications may be required.
According to research by Penn State University, SLF adults are likely to begin to appear in the vineyard in late August, but may arrive as early as late July. The insecticides recommended to control SLF adults are difuran (Scorpion, Gowan Co.; Venom, Valent USA), bifenthrin (Brigade, FMC Corp.; Bifenture, UPL), and thiamethoxam (Actara, Syngenta). Da), Carbaryl (Carbaryl, Sevin, Bayer) and Zeta-Cypermethrin (Mustang Maxx, FMC Corp.) (Leach et al., 2019). These insecticides can effectively kill SLF adults. Ensure compliance with PHI and other regulations. If in doubt, please read the label.
SLF is a nasty invasive pest. Now you know what to do to get it out of state, and how to manage SLF if you unfortunately cannot get it in the vineyard.
Author’s note: Leach, H., D. Biddinger, G. Krawczyk and M. Centinari. 2019. Lanternfly management was found in the vineyard. Available online https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-in-vineyards
Gary Gao is a professor and small fruit promotion expert at Ohio State University. View all author stories here.