A video featuring Elizabeth Long, assistant professor of horticulture crop entomology in the College of Agriculture at Purdue University, has been uploaded to the AP Video Hub.
In the video, Long explains the significant agricultural risk the invasive species spotted lanternfly poses. All videos in the Campus Insights series are free for download and use by all AP members. The video can be found at apvideohub.ap.org or by doing a general search on the Associated Press site.
Long is an assistant professor of horticulture crop entomology in the College of Agriculture at Purdue University. In this video, she explains the significant agricultural risk the invasive species spotted lanternfly poses. Spotted lanternfly is a bright-colored, plant-hopping insect that feeds on sap, and it can be devastating to wine grape and fruit tree growers. Long says if enough spotted lanternfly are on the plant feeding, it could weaken or kill the tree.
Tools like insecticides and netting can be used to stop the spotted lanternfly, but Long says there is still a lot to learn. Long says you can help by knowing what the insect looks like and monitoring your area. If you spot the insect, she encourages you not to move it. She says to take a photo, document where you are and call your state's department of agriculture.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the insect has been spotted in 12 states including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It was found in July in northern Indiana.
Categories: Indiana, Crops, Education, New York, Crops, Ohio, Crops, Pennsylvania, Crops, Education