[MAIPC] update on spotted lanternfly's impact over time?

[Richard Gardner]

 I have not done much on SLF this year because of covid-19. The last I knew the Oley area, which is where it originated was practically free of them. What is apparently happening is a wave pattern similar to dropping a rock in a pond.
In general what I found by actual intensive field time is that the Armageddon scenario Penn State was pushing is mostly nonsense. From what I remember, grapes were hardest hit, but they were also being hit by fungal problems due to lots of rain and much overcast over the last several years. Otherwise SLF is an urban/suburban problem and not much else. The only real potential problem I have seen in forests is on wild grape. If I feel safe (not surprised from behind by hikers while doing research and walking my dog near the Appalachian Trail), next week I will check on vines near where some of the last couple years of research were done.
In the same way Penn State blew up the SLF, many years ago they blew up Castanea dentata. This year the trees were hard hit by a late frost which appears to have killed most of the flowers and this years nuts. However, if anyone takes the time to walk, there are many trees which can be used next year to collect seeds from. If anyone wants to see seedlings from native trees, our yard has perhaps 20 of them. Plus several "forests" from seeds I collected can be found at the Westmoreland Conservancy and nearby.
Just a thought and something that has bothered me - if you are out hiking, especially with covid-19 running rampant, give hikers like us at least 30 feet notice and wait for us to get out of the way. The possibility of being "ambushed" from behind while hiking has kept my wife and I off our favorite trails because we are trying to keep safe distances from other hikers. For us that means at least 30 feet, preferably more. Additionally, right now I do not feel like being friendly or talking with people while on trail. When the pandemic is really over, perhaps this will change. If November 2 goes well that may mean next summer. If not, that means at least another summer or two.
                                                    Richard Gardner
    On Friday, July 17, 2020, 02:37:29 PM EDT, Stephen Hiltner <stevehiltner at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 Can anyone offer insights into whether the lanternfly is causing increasing problems in areas where it has become established, or if its numbers are tending to fade into the background? Are there places where it's becoming entrenched as a big nuisance? A couple sources like the one below have suggested a fading impact over time.https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/local/5-years-into-the-spotted-lanternfly-invasion/article_19edc06e-acaa-11e9-a4d0-e323ff09d976.html

We're having a few nymphs show up here in Princeton.
StevePrincetonNatureNotes.org_______________________________________________
MAIPC mailing list
MAIPC at lists.maipc.org
http://lists.maipc.org/listinfo.cgi/maipc-maipc.org
  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.maipc.org/pipermail/maipc-maipc.org/attachments/20200717/0822e72d/attachment.html>