PPT of talk delivered on the Spotted Lanternfly, Jan. 25, 2019. This talks about the natural history of the Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula , and it relationship to the people in Berks County, PA by an ecologist who studied Ailanthus altissima for his MS thesis.

1. The Spotted Lanternfly –
Observations and Thoughts from the
Frontline in Berks County, PA
Blue Mountain Wildlife
January 25, 2019

2. Richard Gardner
rtgardner3@yahoo.com

4. The quarantine is as useless as
trying to empty an ocean with a
teaspoon.

5. The only way to stop the spread of SLF is if
every plane, train and automobile passing
through the “quarantine zones” are scrubbed
and fumigated.
The wasted money can better be spent
teaching people about invasive organisms to
inhibit future invasions than trying to solve the
unsolvable.

6. Preface

7. This is one of the simplest research projects I have
undertaken, 2 insect species and a handful of plants
scattered from the Appalachian Trail through my
backyard to Reading, PA. It is hard for me to imagine the
research lasting much longer than another year before I
have the natural history of the SLF completed and am
ready to move on.

9. Biology is messy due to its large number of
variables.
Ecology is messier due to the almost infinitely
larger number of variables.
Absolutes are few.
Exceptions are many.

10. This is an ecological issue first, then
an agriculture issue.
Ag is about short term “problem
solving” (tinkering), often causing
more problems, when observation
with no actions is usually the best
path in the short and long term.

11. The paradigms

12. Enemy Release hypothesis
When an organism is introduced into a new
ecology it brings only a small subset of its
controls with it. The fewer individuals introduced
the fewer potential “biocontrols”* come with it.
This is especially true with seeds and eggs which
will carry few if any “biocontrols”.
* Biocontrols are introduced organisms which are supposed to control a worse introduced
organism. Often this starts a chain of more introductions. Once a non-native is released it is almost
impossible or impossible to destroy it. Often these organisms disappear from view, which is an
important consideration as they will have unknown and unmonitored effects on an ecosystem.

13. All the controls of an
organism in its native
system
The controls of an
organism which go with
it to its new system
Enemy Release hypothesis

14. Invasional meltdown
The destruction in an ecological system which
allows a non-native organism to enter an
ecosystem and become invasive.
In the case of SLF, invasional meltdown started
with the first forest which was cut down for
European use followed with the introduction to
Philadelphia of Ailanthus altissima around 1784.

15. Biotic resistance
This is the process of the native ecology striking
back at an invasive or potentially invasive
organism to hinder or prevent its establishment in
an ecosystem.
The closer a non-native organism is related to a
native organism, the more apt the native ecology
will prevent or limit the establishment of the non-
native.
(confamilials, conspecifics)

16. Ailanthus altissima and Atteva aurea, a native
organism which feeds on Ailanthus, is proof of the
concept that ecological systems given enough
time can develop systems of biotic resistance.
Ailanthus altissima and Simarouba glauca are
confamilials. A. aurea jumped from S. glauca to
A. altissima.

17. Founder Effect
When a non-native is transported to a new
ecosystem it is often just a few individuals of
limited parentage. Therefore, it takes only a few
of the genes from the gene pool with it. This is a
serious liability in that with limited genes it may be
unable to adapt to new environmental conditions
and unable to defend against new diseases or
predators.

18. All the genes of an
organism in its native
system
The genes of an
organism which go with
it to its new system
Founder Effect

19. This is our only realistic hope against the SLF, a
native threat will develop which due to the limited
genetic diversity (parentage)* of SLF will
eradicate the SLF from this country.
*The original SLF population in Berks County had as few as two parents (one male/one female).

20. From observation based experience, there are no
magic bullets. However, there are “magic
systems” which are collections of (native)
organisms which attack, control and may
eventually eradicate a non-native organism,
bioeradication.

21. An organism introduced into a new ecology goes
through a distinct series of steps:
1. lag time
2. logarithmic/exponential growth
3. stability.

22. exponential growth
stability
lag time
Where we are. Where we want to be.
extinction
introduction
decline

23. Ailanthus altissima
(Tree of heaven, TOH)

24. Ailanthus has been isolated from the SLF since
the mid-1700’s when seeds were brought from
China to Paris. Next the tree went to London
before coming to Philadelphia after the end of the
American Revolutionary War in 1784. It will be
interesting to see how Ailanthus reacts to the SLF
and if this reaction will be what brings SLF into
control.

36. smooth mottled grey bark

43. Insects using Ailanthus as a food
source

44. Atteva aurea
the Ailanthus webworm:
still my hero!
The larvae feed exclusively on Ailanthus.
The adults nectar on a wide variety of
native wildflowers before laying their eggs
on Ailanthus.

45. Like SLF, A. aurea has few enemies and
need few defensive strategies because they
feed on Ailanthus at some point in their lives.
This makes them distasteful and possibly
toxic to potential predators.
If an organism is brightly colored, there is a
reason for it.

52. Aculops ailanthii
an eriophyoid gall mite which apparently
hitchhikes on Atteva aurea and may
spread disease between Ailanthus trees.

56. The landscape

57. The landscape is essential in
understanding SLF as it
moves in highly human
modified ecological systems of
wide corridors, open spaces,
hedgerows and small forests.

58. If my observations about grasshoppers are correct, in general hoppers, especially
big ones, need long open areas to move in because they do not have the ability to
control their flight the way flyers such as moths and black flies do. This is what
edge habitats/ecotones are usually like, wooded areas next to open fields.
To make the jumps across the landscape after the fifth instar becomes an adult
may mean long straight leaps along the edge of a forest, across a field or down a
hedgerow. Shorter jumps in the edges of wooded areas of 2 to 10 feet from one
food source to another or to an egg laying site are not a problem in a wooded area.
However, the longer travelling jumps during the apparent explosion of adults
across the landscape during the fall are only possible in open areas and along the
outside edges of hedgerows and wooded areas. This further reinforces the idea
that SLF is not a forest insect, but can be one of rural, suburban and urban areas
which are composed of a mixture of hedgerows, small forests and large open
areas

59. home

60. AT the Pulpit

61. AT the Pulpit

62. Bake Oven Knob

63. Blue Marsh – Spring Creek

64. Blue Marsh – Spring Creek

65. Hamburg Reservoir

66. Reading from the Pagoda

67. Reading from the Pagoda

68. Reading from the Pagoda

69. Reading from the Pagoda

70. Reading

71. West Reading

72. The adults

73. Feeding on Ailanthus altissima does not
guarantee reproduction.

74. However, by inference from seeing SLF
egg masses surrounding wild grape vines
where there are no Ailanthus nearby, there
is successful reproduction after feeding on
wild grape and potentially other food
sources.
I should have this answer completed by
late spring when the eggs hatch.

89. Oct. 2018

90. Dec. 2018

104. Oct. 2018

105. Oct. 2018

112. The nymphs

113. Ailanthus is one of the last deciduous trees to
emerge from dormancy in China and likewise
locally. The hatching of the first instar of SLF
nymphs can be expected to be in sync with
some phase of Ailanthus breaking dormancy,
from the sap beginning to run to bud break or
leaf emergence.

120. The egg masses

121. Egg masses are not usually deposited on food sources.

122. The large communal egg masses on Ailanthus are much less common than egg masses
scattered on single trees and other surfaces. The two patterns are related to food
sources and transportation. It appears that the egg masses are near, but not normally
on, food sources such as Ailanthus and wild grape (Vitis sp.).
Walking trails and dirt roads it is obvious that many egg masses are the result of gravid
females attaching to vehicles until they find a suitable location, then jumping off.
The egg masses are very seldom more than 30 feet from a dirt road or an open area,
which serve as corridors for travel.
So far, I have found eggs on grey birch, black birch, pignut, choke cherry, wild grape,
box elder, Norway maple, misc. maple sp., oak sp., Ailanthus, a rusty log splitter and a
rusty iron fencepost.

123. A general ongoing observation is that I have seldom seen SLF egg
masses much higher than 6 feet off the ground.

140. my home

145. my home

154. Gypsy Moth

155. The areas which SLF inhabits are a subset
of areas the Gypsy moth inhabits.

156. The egg masses of the Gypsy moth are
similar with SLF and overlap ranges. The
three obvious differences are that Gypsy
moths egg masses are foamy, medium
brown and do not develop cracks.
SLF egg masses are light grey to tan and
have a fine grained coating which
eventually develops cracks to closer
resemble tree bark.

158. Gypsy moth Spotted lanternfly

165. Gypsy moths appear to be making a local comeback. It will be interesting to
see how they interact with SLF in the next couple years.

166. 2019 Research Objectives:
1. to study how SLF physically moves about the landscape as
an adult: like a semi-guided missile with long leaps or ?
2. to determine the times SLF moves across the landscape – I
am thinking both genders move in the short time after the
transition from 5th instar nymph to adulthood before settling
on a food source. After that my thought is that only SLF
females move when looking for egg laying sites. This would
explain a lot of what I see, including the skewed gender
ratios on food sources. (Basically, the females lay eggs and
die while the males remain on the food source until killed by
a freeze?)
3. general observation of behaviors, especially nymphs from
hatching to the settling on a food source as adults.

167. THOUGHTS

168. The most obvious conclusion I have reached is
that the panic around SLF is just that - a panic
equivalent to what happened when "War of the
Worlds" was aired in the 1938 and just as silly.

169. My biggest concern is that “researchers” are biasing their data and results by being
intent on “solving” this apparent problem instead of observing and knowing SLF and its
effects. It is vital at this point that scientists spend most of their time walking and
observing instead of participating in the nonsensical and naïve panic which is infecting
everyone from homeowners to farmers and politicians. The proposed strategy which I
heard about of trying to remove all the Ailanthus trees from the infested area is one
without practical application. It would require walking every square meter of land to
locate possibly 10,000,000 Ailanthus trees. Then when it is discovered that SLF can
reproduce after feeding on Vitis sp. will there also be attempts to remove that from the
ecology? And, and, and?

170. From much field observation, the PA Game Commission is a major cause of
the spread of invasives. They do not wash or sanitize their vehicles between
sites which means when seeds or insects are in one location, they will be
spread to others.
Secondly, the game land tours are environmental disasters as the vehicles
doing these tours have come unwashed from multiple places, leaving
whatever they have picked up before the tour behind them during the tours.

171. Last thought
Apparently the SLF has been
coevolving with humans since the
beginning of agriculture in its place of
origin as humans create the perfect
habitat for its primary food source,
Ailanthus altissima.

172. To understand the SLF is to
understand this coevolution with
humans from the beginning of
agriculture through today’s
urbanization and how humans have
modified the environment to be an
ideal habitat for the SLF.

173. WALK MORE
TINKER LESS