Spotted Lanternfly Meeting Hosted by the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program

PORTLAND, NEW YORK (May 10, 2024) -- On Wednesday, May 1st the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (LERGP) made up of both Penn State University and Cornell University Extension Specialist hosted a meeting in collaboration with Penn State University Researchers at Burch Farms in North East, PA to talk about the invasive species Spotted Lanternfly updates for the grape and wine industry. This meeting was the official kick-off of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program’s coffee pot meetings for 2024. It was an all-day event beginning at 9:00AM and ending at 3:15PM. Many thanks to the Burch family for welcoming us into their space and for their hospitality.

The speaker line up boasted some big names in the Penn State Extension and Research arena who have studied this invasive since the invasion in 2017 and are very familiar with the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). LERGP and PSU Megan Luke put together a powerful agenda that was well received by all in attendance. These amazing speakers educated local growers, processors stakeholders, and government agencies about this pest.

The day started with Brian Walsh who is an Extension Educator with PSU in Ornamentals and Green Industry. He has been a commercial insecticide applicator since 2008 and is a commercial plant healthcare contractor, he was located at the epicenter of the initial infestation of SLF in southeastern Pennsylvania and has learned a lot over the past 10 years of dealing with it. Brian spoke about the population dynamics and management perspectives for SLF outside of the vineyard. Brian feels that learning and understanding the timing and locations to target management strategies are key to successfully managing this pest.

Dr. Cain Hickey was next up. Cain is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Viticulture with PSU and a Viticulture Extension Educator at Penn State. He works with the Pennsylvania grape and wine industry to solve vineyard management issues and optimize crop production practices. Cain spoke about Spotted Lanternfly in vineyards: field observations, grower perspectives, and management scenarios.

Dr. Julie Urban who is an Associate Research Professor of Entomology with PSU presented her review of big picture findings from SLF research and observations over the past seven years. Her research focuses on the natural history of planthoppers and their coevolution with multiple bacterial and fungal endosymbionts. Specifically for SLF, Julie is examining their feeding behavior, nutritional requirements, feeding preferences, thermal tolerances, and other basic aspects of biology to better understand this invasive insect’s impacts and potential for spread. She has been collaborating with other universities and government agencies to anticipate emergent needs of growers in new regions and grape production systems not yet impacted by SLF.

Next Dr. Flor Acevedo, PSU Assistant Professor of Entomology and Arthropod Ecology, gave some research updates on SLF in vineyards. She discussed the physiological relationship between lanternfly feeding and grapevine vitality with focuses on impact to production and the importance of effectively managing for grapevine sustainability.

The last speaker prior to lunch was Molly Kelly, PSU Enology Extension Educator. Molly leads educational programming focusing on wine quality, so she discussed the impact of SLF on wine chemistries and volatile aroma compounds. Molly presented studies done to determine taint and toxicity as well as discussing research on levels of ailanthone in research wines which is a compound derived from Tree of Heaven.

Following lunch Dana Rhodes, State Plant Regulatory Official of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture SLF task force, gave an update on the permit system of Pennsylvania that is recognized by both NYS and PA allowing product to be moved across state lines. She also explained the process once a report is made of a SLF sighting for sending out a team to do a grid search for further detection.

Megan Luke (LERGP/PSU Extension Educator Tree Furit and Viticulture) and Andrew Holden (LERGP/PSU Business Specialist) presented a practical spray program that they have developed and the associated costs for ongoing SLF management in processor-bound grapes. They worked together to create a cost of treatment for various spray program scenarios.

Claudia Schmidt of Penn State Extension joined the meeting by Zoom and continued on that theme by speaking about quantifying the economic impact of SLF on grape growers. Her research focuses on diversification options for small scale agricultural producers and processors. She is an assistant professor of Marketing and Local/Regional Food Systems at Penn State University.

The final presentation was a grower panel that joined by Zoom. Dean Scott, Ben Cody, Zach Waltz, Carl Helrich, and Rich Blair were the growers that assisted in the panel who are vineyard owners and managers from southeastern Pennsylvania that have been dealing with the SLF infestation for many years. They were able to discuss practical strategies, tips, successes, and concerns with the audience at Burch Farms which went a long way to ease anxieties for our growers who have not dealt with this pest as of yet.

Over the course of the day there were many collaborations made and strengthened, as well as connections for resources and information to help the Lake Erie Grape Region grower and industry stakeholders. This powerful event fostered communication for transparency when this agricultural pest arrives in our region. Each attendee was sent home with a Spotted Lanternfly Pocket Guide developed by the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program designed and formatted by Kim Knappenberger of the LERGP team and based on research by PSU and Cornell University. This guide was created to aid in the identification of the various stages of the SLF life cycle and then give information about how to scout, manage, and report sightings in both New York and Pennsylvania.

Photo Caption: LERGP staff presenting at the SLF meeting at Burch Farms.

The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated May 10, 2024