Spotted Lanternfly Summit – Day 2
Recorded March 2, 2021
Q&A Day 2 – Extension and Communication
Compiled by Nancy Cusumano, Northeastern IPM Center
Q. What variety of hops were used?
A. Cascade.
Q. What can growers do to remove the egg masses from those posts? Is it worth the time/labor?
A. Answered live.
Q. Did Heather mean to say the eggs were found more on vertical surfaces?
A. No more on undersides of at least partially angled horizontal surfaces.
Q. What factors led to the selection of crops used in the first study? Is there anything about hemp, kiwi, etc. that leads one to suspect they would be targeted by SLF?
A. Answered live.
Q. Do you think SLF are sitting in the morning waiting for a faster flow to begin when the change in temp changes the pressure? Kind of like how sap in the maple flows in the winter?
A. Answered live.
Q. Could this difference be due to management, insecticide application schedule?
A. Assuming this question is in relation to annual trends/populations in vineyards?
Yes—and grower experience with SLF (especially deciding when to spray) is likely a strong influence, too.
Q. Have you (Heather) looked at non-target mortality? Is there an insecticide that is best to use that reduces non-target mortality?
A. Answered live.
Q. I have seen growers put up fences to keep out deer. Perhaps an insecticide-treated net could work for both pests?
A. Yes! There are some registration issues with the insecticide treated netting, but there are some ways we can get creative and test this out, I hope!
Q. Have you tried having treated trap grapes closer to the edge of a vineyard?
A. Answered live.
Q. Do trap trees and other SLF control treatments that have been performed in the landscape around vineyards reduce SLF within the vineyards you sampled?
A. Not really. MAYBE with dino-injected TOH, but we need more replicates to say for sure.
Q. Do you plan to see check for effects of SLF feeding on apples? Other veg crops?
A. Yes, given funding availability.
Q. Do we have any evidence that your progression of SLF in a vineyard (quiet first years to a bad 4th year) are probably true for residential neighborhoods as well?
A. Julie showed some data yesterday from Dennis Calvin, but we only have 2 years of data of continuous monitoring there, so it’s tough to say. We need more data!
Q. Any problem with honeydew on hemp flowers?
A. Answered live.
Q. Did you use any lures on your poles?
A. No, no lures.
Q. What did the poles cost to have installed?
A. Answered live.
Q. How long is the treated netting effective?
A. Two years so far and they will use it again this year.
Q. I seem to recall 5% horticultural oil was tested for controlling eggs. Can you comment on efficacy of lower rates: 1%–4%?
A. Answered live.
Q. At the Collegeville site, do you have any evidence that the SLF on Maples were coming in from the surrounding landscape or from vehicle hitchhikers?
A. Answered live.
Q. Have you used the poles in a non-nursery setting?
A. We’ve tested one prototype trap in a non-nursery setting, but SLF are attracted to vertical silhouettes and during dispersal will cover utility poles, silos, buildings, etc.
Q. Some research appears to indicate that SLF are especially attracted to trees having high levels of alkaloids. Do your findings confirm this?
A. I haven’t conducted any research that would test that, sorry. We do see massive variation in species preference, and individuals among the same species. Some trees become “hot”, and it looks largely connected to turgor pressure and nutrient availability.
Q. High tension wire towers not only attract by being tall but also provide the “buzz” that was discussed yesterday with the success utilizing poles possibly towers can be considered or poles altered.
A. If there was a lure, chemical or sound or whatever that was proven to work and overcome the environmental “noise”, I think combining them would be a home run for using this as a control technique.
Q. What are the top species that would be preferred in situations where red maple wasn’t present?
A. Red and silver maple predominate the fall egg laying in our area, but they often lay on trees near those “sustaining” trees that are targeted including pines and other conifers that they don’t really feed on. When scouting in the adult phase I go by what is present, (ailanthus, walnut are my first check), and then I go by what is soft with good “wet” wood if you cut it open, hasn’t begun to senesce and work that way. Once they senesce they move to the next best thing. Additional favorites are birch, willow, styrax. Less so poplar, sycamore, sugar maple, Norway maple, ash, etc. and then sometimes oaks, hickories and other super dense woods. It always goes back to what’s available in the area and don’t forget about all of the oddball ornamentals that may be present in the urban landscape ... or wild grapevines, oriental bittersweet, etc.
Q. How can information be shared between agencies to increase access to these aerial maps? Frequently we see duplication of efforts for ground crews. Additionally, has anyone considered reaching out to the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center personnel in Asheville, NC for remote sensing?
A. Answered live.
Q. Have you seen any impact on regenerating stands? Either feeding damage or reduced growth rate from sooty mold?
A. Answered live.
Q. Have any of your forestry operations yet had responses from customers concerned about receiving SLF in shipments?
A. Answered live.