TWISTED CRITTER
“LYCORMA DELICULATA” known as “THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY”
by Zeke Loftin - Twisted South Emporium
Today’s “Twisted Critter” is an alien species to the American continent. The Invasion of this, “bug from hell” started in the North Eastern USA, but it is on its way to YOU! It is also bonded with the tree featured in Twisted Twig this week Allianthus a.k.a. Heaven Tree or Paradise Tree! Almost nothing will eat this foul tasting, noxious bug and they get their super power from the Allianthus tree you can read about in our blog, Twisted Twig.
We are breaking rank and giving you a critter that is dangerous to our food crops, bizarre looking and destructive, yet not an American native. It makes pets sick if eaten, repels humans with its foul smell and loves the domestic grape, hops and various fruits. Most insecticides barely faze it and it travels on semi-trucks, in the wheel wells of your family vehicles. Many areas in several states are under quarantine yet we seem to be losing the battle since it has virtually no predators with the possible exception of the hungriest Praying Mantis. Since among its favorite foods are hops and wine-quality grapes this Chinese alien is coming for our wine & beer. It is the ultimate biological transformer, as it completely changes its looks several times during its lifetime. It is not a matter of IF it is coming for your state it’s a matter of when and by all data we have found it is headed your way fast! Let me introduce you to “LYCORMA DELICULATA” known as “THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY.”
If I have to personalize this for anyone who thinks it does not affect you: This foul stinky bug is coming for your wine your beer and your food crops. The top-five crops endangered by this group include hops and domestic grapes not to mention those beautiful Georgia peaches. Not only do entire communities depend on wineries (grapes) and beer breweries (hops) for tourism and product but a strike against a major fruit group such as peaches could be devastating to entire states. This horde invading the USA is not being properly promoted to those in its path of destruction.
Your first encounter with this bluish-gray dark-spotted locust size flea-shaped bug; with its bulbous yellow eyes, which seem to be sizing you up, can be shocking. This transformer is a virtually indestructible obnoxious alien BUG arrived from China on egg-masses adhered to a shipment of stone around 2012. It was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014 and is now at minimum in New York New Jersey Connecticut Delaware Ohio Virginia Massachusetts Indiana and Maryland and this list needs to be updated. I am almost positive they are now in North Carolina.
NOTE: Its host tree “Allianthus Altissima” or “Tree Of Heaven” had infiltrated our country decades earlier introduced by collectors and gardeners with little awareness of how ultra-invasive the tree species would be here. Just as Kudzu was brought from China and Japan to feed livestock and stop erosion on banks they quickly found out Kudzu not only grows inches per day it also has no native predators (Nothing eats it! Even our livestock were not impressed) and Kudzu now eats entire farms hollers and even valleys and it appears to be here forever. Often known as the “vine that ate the South” “Tree Of Heaven” is like Kudzu on a trunk and nothing wants to eat the foul tasting tree and it seeds freely. If you lift a branch on this tree you are likely to see an army of Lanternflies filling up on the obnoxious sap. The Lanternfly does not naturally taste and smell terrible it loads up on this trees noxious sap to make it indigestible to predators. If we could eliminate the “Tree Of Heaven” the Lanternfly would lose its foul-tasting defense and all of our natural predators would take them out as the Lanternfly would become a food source for snakes lizards frogs toads and birds. Our Southern predators would be our army
To kill a “Tree Of Heaven” is not easy they must either be pulled up dug up or trees prior to cutting must be sprayed with a powerful herbicide and cut down after they die back from the strong chemicals. Yes we all know about Round Up and herbicide problems but this controlled effort must be started now before entire forests have to be sprayed and stone fruits (pears apples Peaches etc.) are lost to this treacherous bug.
If we can kill the tree we can kill the Lanternfly. Home and land owners must become warriors against the Allianthus trees on their properties and those who are elderly or unable to shoulder the expense should receive subsidies and help from their state the fruit and adult beverage corporations. This is one group of aliens where their should be no debate about the necessity to form an all out war for the total eradication of the Allianthus tree as we do our best controlling the bug. Our wildlife will take over the job if we kill those toxic trees and commonwealths towns counties and states as well as the USDA and Forestry Departments need to move quickly with a heavy response to these invaders. We will be adding updates on the best way to kill them which includes stomping them on the ground wearing mud boots when they emerge or during their slower moving earlier transformations. They are fast when mature but I whack the crap out of them with a flyswatter. Our chihuahua has learned to fatally wound them without ingesting them. We just have to remove their bodies so our young coonhound who is no Einstein does not chew on their bodies. She is learning like all creatures they are no fun to eat and can cause gastric upset.
We will include links to how to best kill them but like kudzu which we have never gained control of we may be facing a predator host that we can kill now but later may be TOO LATE! Also the large flea-shaped critter does not fly but propels itself at hyper-speed also like a flea when confronted. Good luck and check your states Agricultural Departments for when and how to treat Allianthus and the Lanternfly. Good Luck and “SAVE OUR WINE FRUIT AND BEER!"
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