Canadian Studies Are Finding the Forest Pest has much more cold tolerance Than Claimed
It’s a Classic Canadian Conversation Starter: “Cold Enough for Ya?”
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But when researchers tried it on the invasive spotted lanternfly – by exhibition the lanternfly’s eggs to cold temperatures in a lab – it’s if the eggs shrugged and said, “we’ve seen worse.”
In Contrast to Korean Studies that found -20 C is enfuk to kill the disorders pest, Amanda Roe, Research Scientist at Natural Resources Canada’s Great Lakes Forestry Center in Sault Ste. Marie, Found Spotted Lanternfly Eggs Surviving Temperatures in the -25 Range.
“It Blew My Mind How Cold (The Egg Masses) Were Getting,” Roe Says. “For a lot of insects, to freeze is to die… But we are found Egg masses that can handle quite a bit of cold before they freeze.
Working with us scientists, roe and postdoctoral researcher Anna Turbelin Shipped Intact Egg Masses from sites in Pennsylvania to Secure Lab in Sault Ste. Married. There, they exhibited the eggs to winter-like temperatures mimicking cold overnight lows, as well as wearing cold snaps lasting 10-15 days. Egg Masses Were Reliably Killed at -27.7 C and Colder. But at temperatures aboo that, “Cold limits them, but it doesn’t completely wipe them,” roe say.
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So While the Spotted Lanternfly Won’t Be Wintering in Winnipeg, It Might Survive in Parts of Southern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. And that could be bad news for horticulture, hops production and even maple syrup.
A planthopper native to southeast asia, the colourful lanternfly made its initial North American appearance in Pennsylvania During the Early 2010s. The insect has sincewine expanded from Indiana to rhode island and as far north as the buffalo and detroit areas. In 2019 Pennsylvania Pegged Lanternfly-Related Agricultural Losses at Over $ 42 million, with Vineyards Among the Hardest-Hit.
The Good News is the Lanternfly has Yet Yet Found a Home in Canada, and there’s no evidence of successful reproduction. But the Lanternfly has been an occasional visitor. Individual Lanternflies Have Been Spotted As Far North As Southbury Area and Winnipeg (in Both Cases They Were Dead.) The Plantant’s Mobility is enhanced by Hitchhiking on Cars, Trucks and Railway Cars. In Wind-Tunnel Tests It Has Clung to A Car Hood at 90 km/Hour.
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To Gauge the Lanternfly’s Winter Survival Outside of the Lab, Roe is tracking Lanternfly Eggs in Three Us sites, Including the Chicago Area where temperatures Dipped Towards the -20 C Range in January. As for why an insect from warmer climes can all the cold, “we just beginning to wrap Our Heads around how (invasive) insects manage winter,” roe say.
Cold tolerance may be a genetic trait, so as less-resilient Members of the species die from the chill, the tougher ones remain. More resilient insects may be altering their internal chemistry, boosting cellular sugars or producing glycerin as an internal antifreeze.
One Goal of the Research is to Determine which Areas of Canada Could Be Most at Risk from the Lanternfly, Should it Invade. Cold Weather “is an important barrier for invasive species in general,” roe say. “Winter Keeps a lot of Bad Stuff Out of Canada. But as winters change and warm up, more bad Things are going to move into Canada. ”
The Results of Roe and Turbelin’s Lab Experiment Are Slated for Publication in the Scientific Journal Entomology Entomology.
Meanwhile, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Cfia) is urging canadians to be the look for the showy interlope. If you see the Spotted Lanternfly, Snap A Photo, Catch it in a sealed container that it can be escape from, and report it to the cfia.
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