Zapping lanternflies

URI entomologist suggests novel removal technique to help tackle invasive pest

Kristen Curry

Jack Whitney ’26 demonstrates the SLF vacuum technique;
 URI researchers say it can help tackle invasive
spotted lanternfly. (URI Photo / Dana Terrill)

Most of the student researchers in Lisa Tewksbury’s Biocontrol Lab at the University of Rhode Island were born after the film “Ghostbusters” came out in theaters, but they’re experimenting with an iconic technique from the popular 1984 movie as part of efforts to stop a local invasive pest leaving its own destructive, oozy impact on agriculture around the state, including local vineyards.

Tewksbury, an entomologist in URI’s Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, conducts research on biological control of species which can put local crops at risk. She says donning a URI-inspired version of the iconic vacuum pack could help Rhode Islanders do battle with the aggressive spotted lanternfly, one persistent planthopper making inroads in the northeastern U.S.

Tewksbury says that residents of impacted areas could even use this approach at home, deploying a handheld vacuum, then carefully disposing of the captured insects afterward.

Buzzkill

The adult spotted lanternfly is currently spreading through the
mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S.; the invasive pest was first
 found in Rhode Island in 2021. (URI Photo / Biocontrol Lab)

The spotted lanternfly, present in Rhode Island since 2021, is of concern in the Ocean State, which has already seen its historic elm, chestnut and beech trees blighted due to other pest infestations.

Once here, the spotted lanternfly uses its piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract sap from host plants. It feeds on plants like grapes, hops, stone fruits, and hardwood trees, leaving behind a sap that leads to damaging mold growth, reducing photosynthesis and damaging plants.

Stephanie Serino, a URI Master Gardener who fields public queries at URI’s free Gardening and Environmental Hotline (gardener@uri.edu, 401-874-4836), says Rhode Islanders can keep an eye out for spotted lanternflies in their nymph stage now, black with white spots.

Spotted lanternfly, here shown in the nymph stage,
harms important plants such as grapes, apples, stone fruits,
and walnuts, and is also a nuisance that affects outdoor activities.
(URI Photo / Biocontrol Lab)

“They are a big problem for agriculture, vineyards, orchards and nursery crops,” she said, noting that the SLF preys on approximately 70 plant species. “We also encourage people to visit the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management website to learn more about how to manage, report and remove them.”

At URI, Tewksbury is working to stop the plant destruction wrought by the aggressive insect.

Her work may be out of sight but it’s critical, supporting research on biological control programs that reduce populations of invasive species. Tewksbury works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, overseeing one of seven partner sites in the U.S. assisting with spotted lanternfly biocontrol research.

Stop SLF

Tewksbury has an open-door attitude toward information sharing and getting the word out about this problematic pest, but a firm closed-door policy across her lab. In fact, one of her labs is a quarantine zone, complete with tripled-glassed windows, special vents, specialized growth chambers and researchers trained in the proper procedures. This is a rare containment facility that is housed in a university; usually they are managed by the federal government or a state.

Tewksbury hosts several research fellows in her lab, studying the spotted lanternfly and other invasive pests. Together, they are studying the lanternfly’s impact and what it will mean if it extends its reach to more rural parts of the state. So far, the lanternfly has mostly been concentrated in and around Rhode Island’s capital of Providence, but growers in more rural parts of the state are beginning to see them as well.

Tewksbury is also researching biological control of the spotted wing drosophila—which can put fruit crops at risk. Biocontrol has many advantages, including offering an environmentally friendly and more cost-effective alternative to pesticides.

Stopping these invasive pests and protecting local agriculture is something we could all toast, Tewksbury says.

Visit the URI Biocontrol Lab website for information on current biocontrol projects and to learn what to do about invasive species. Follow @uri_biocontrol on social media to learn more.