You may have heard a lot recently about the spotted lanternfly, which is an invasive pest that can cause damage to trees, vines, and other crops.
The growing presence of the spotted lanternfly is causing researchers to get more involved in learning about how to control the pest. Dr. Rick Roush is with Penn State and he says their department just secured a $7 million grant for research. He details some of their findings so far.
“We’ve worked out the life cycle timing of the pests. We’ve worked out its seasonal changes in preferred host plants, so we can do a better job of mapping how it moves from place to place as adults. We’ve developed management guides for most industries, especially grape vineyards,” Roush said.
Right now, no spotted lanternflies have been seen in Butler County, but they are starting to have a bigger presence in Western Pennsylvania.
