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There's fungus among us, and it might kill off the spotted lanternfly in Pa.

John Buffone
York Daily Record

As Pennsylvania continues to lose ground in the war against the spotted lanternfly, a new hope is on the horizon.

Scientists from Penn State and Cornell University have teamed up in developing a potential biopesticide derived from a naturally occurring fungi in North America.

“We’re all doing our own little part of this project. It’s the same trial, but we’re all measuring our own little interest areas so we can pull all of that data together and learn as much as we can,” said Penn State scientist Nina Jenkins. 

Beauveria bassina, a native fungi, has shown the ability to kill spotted lanternflies according to the latest research. The fungi causes disease in insects but is harmless to humans. Beauveria fungi is already used in a number of EPA-approved biopesticides.

Previously, Jenkins helped develop a fungal biopesticide for bedbugs called Aprehend.

Adult spotted lanternfly

The spotted lanternfly is indigenous to Asia and can adversely affect various agricultural industries, including grapes, apples, hops and logging. There's a potential $18 billion impact on Pennsylvania’s business, trade and economy.

More:Spotted lanternfly: Higher beer and wine costs could come from PA infestation

So far, the spotted lanternfly has spread to 14 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania and has also been found in New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

More:Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone expands into Central Pa.

How does the biopesticide work?

A dead lanternfly nymph that has Beauveria bassiana spores on its body.

When the insect encounters the fungi, it will pick up the fungal spores, which will continue to develop around the insect’s body, eventually killing it within days and leaving it covered in a white fuzz that contains more spores that more insects could pick up.

"The chance that you could get some secondary cycling in the environment is quite high, so that's an added bonus to using a fungal pathogen as opposed to a chemical toxin," Jenkins said. 

Though the biopesticide kills most insects, Jenkins said many non-target pollinators and social insects, such as bees, can recognize fungal infections and either try to remove it or eject the infected individual from the hive or colony. 

"The good news is also that this isn't a broad scale application," she said. "We are simply putting it where there are high populations of spotted lanternflies."

More:Spotted lanternfly found in York County outside of quarantine zone: Now what?

Application and more testing

A technician at the Penn State Berks campus, uses a hydraulic sprayer to treat spotted lanternfly research plots at the Norristown Farm Park.

The research team used a tractor-mounted sprayer to apply the biopesticide in a 695-acre park in Montgomery County, a hotbed for spotted lanternflies.

The sprayers can reach approximately 50 feet into the air, which Jenkins said isn’t ideal.

“That’s not very high when you look at some of the trees we were treating,” Jenkins said. “We’re missing a huge area at the top of the canopy where spotted lanternflies would be completed unaffected if they stayed there."

Jenkins hopes for an application system where the tops of tree canopies can be reached, such as an aerial dispersion.  

Researchers applied the trial biopesticide on the lanternfly nymph (early life stage) and later on the adult bug. While there are no ironclad results back yet, there is reason for positivity.

"We haven't gathered all the data to make a statement, but we are encouraged," Jenkins said. 

Jenkins hopes there will be enhanced testing next summer to help determine the best method of application, how often the biopesticide needs to be applied and if the formula needs to be tweaked.  

"Part of the problem is we have one field season and then we have to wait," she said. "We don't have the option of just trying something new next week. The population does its thing and then we are back in the egg stage next year."

Once the research team has hard evidence of the biopesticide's effectiveness, they can begin making recommendations to governmental groups. 

"Things could move quick. But, if we have to make adjustments that require approval from the EPA, we're looking at years. There are still serious questions that need addressed."